DANIEL DEFOE 1660 1731 is considered one of

DANIEL DEFOE (1660 - 1731) is considered one of the founders of the English novel

Defoe’s biography n n born Daniel Foe, he was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy, now most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe; Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain, and, along with others such as Samuel Richardson, is among the founders of the English novel; A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural); He was also a pioneer of economic journalism.

IMPORTANT NOVELS Robinson Crusoe (1719) Moll Flanders (1722) A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) Colonel Jack (1722)

ROBINSON CRUSOE n n n Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719) tells of a man's shipwreck on a deserted island his subsequent adventures; The story is widely perceived to have been influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island; Despite its simple narrative style, Robinson Crusoe was well received in the literary world and is often credited as marking the beginning of realistic fiction as a literary genre.

Title page from the first edition, 25 April 1719

Character analysis Robinson Crusoe - The novel’s protagonist and narrator. Crusoe begins the novel as a young middle-class man in York in search of a career. His father recommends the law, but Crusoe yearns for a life at sea, and his subsequent rebellion and decision to become a merchant is the starting point for the whole adventure that follows. His vague but recurring feelings of guilt over his disobedience color the first part of the first half of the story and show us how deep Crusoe’s religious fear is. Crusoe is steady and plodding in everything he does, and his perseverance ensures his survival through storms, enslavement, and a twenty-eight-year isolation on a desert island. Resourceful, independent, creative, resigned to his fate, capable, compassionate and somewhat heroic

Quotes from Robinson Crusoe n “It is never too late to be wise. ” n “Thus fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself. ” n “From this moment I began to conclude in my mind that it was possible for me to be more happy in this forsaken, solitary condition that it was possible I should ever have been in any other particular state in the world; and with this thought I was going to give thanks to God for bringing me to this place. ”

Defoe’s novels share the same characteristics n n n They are presented as memoirs or autobiographies and are narrated in the first person; The setting is contemporary and realistic; There is no real plot: the protagonist is presented in a chronological series of episodes; The main character overcomes misfortune through self -reliance, hard word and belief in God; Each of the characters repents his evil actions and prays to God for salvation; The prose style is plain yet powerfully effective.

Context of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe n n REALISM – the term is used to denote the attempt by writers to present an accurate imitation of life as it is. Robinson Crusoe became a model of the middle class, a self-made man convinced that Britain had a right and duty to bring civilization to other parts of the world.

bibliography Fields of vision, volume 1 by Denis Delaney, Ciaran Ward, Carla Rho Fiorina; Pearson Education Limited; Essex, England, 2003; n http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Daniel_De foe#Robinson_Crusoe n