Who wrote "Robinson Crusoe"? Daniel Defoe's novel: content, main characters

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The book about the adventures of Robinson Crusoe can rightly be considered one of the most famous works in European literature. Even those of our compatriots who are not particularly inclined to spend time reading, will surely be able to tell what they once read about the amazing adventures of a sailor who lived alone on a desert island for almost thirty years. However, far fewer readers will remember who wrote Robinson Crusoe. In order not to return to the book again, but to plunge back into the atmosphere of a carefree childhood, re-read this article and remember what the author wrote about, thanks to which the amazing adventures of a sailor saw the light of day.

Robinson Crusoe and Munchausen

Events in the life of a sailor, described by Daniel Defoe, is one of the books of the 17-18th century, which took a special place among the works of children's literature, along with the adventures of Baron Munchausen. But if the story of the famous eccentric, who claimed that he pulled himself out of the swamp by the hair, is reread by adults only in a period of nostalgia forchildhood, the novel that Daniel Defoe created is a completely different matter. It should be noted that the name of the author who wrote about the amazing adventures of the baron is known only to specialist bibliographers.

Robinson Crusoe. Theme of the piece

Let's try to answer the question of what is the main task of this work. Those who remember the story that Robinson Crusoe got into, the content of this work, will understand why the author created it. The main theme of the novel is the problem of a person from a civilized society who finds himself alone with nature.

About the creation of the piece

The novel describes the modern era for the author, the time of geographical discoveries, when navigators could be at sea for many years.

The adventurous-adventure genre of the work is quite typical for realistic novels in England of that time.

The prototype of the main character is the sailor Selkirk and, of course, Daniel Defoe himself. The author endowed Robinson with his love of life and perseverance. However, Robinson is almost 30 years older than the writer: when a middle-aged sailor lands on his native shore, full of strength, the educated Defoe is already operating in London.

Unlike Selkirk, Robinson spends not four and a half years on a desert island, but a long 28 years. The author deliberately puts his hero in such conditions. After being on a desert island, Robinson remains a civilized man.

Daniel Defoe was able to write amazingly accurately about the climate, flora and fauna of the island that Robinson landed on. The coordinates of this place are the samewith coordinates of Tobago Island. This is due to the fact that the author carefully studied the information described in such books as "The Discovery of Guiana", "Traveling Around the World" and others.

Roman saw the light of day

When you read this work, you understand that the one who wrote "Robinson Crusoe" experienced great pleasure from working on his brainchild. The work done by Daniel Defoe was appreciated by contemporaries. The book was published on April 25, 1719. Readers liked the novel so much that in the same year the work was reprinted 4 times, and in total during the life of the author - 17 times.

The writer's skill was appreciated: readers believed in the incredible adventures of the protagonist, who spent almost 30 years on a desert island after a shipwreck.

Summary

Robinson Crusoe is the third son of a we althy man. From childhood, the boy dreams of sea voyages. One of his brothers died, the other went missing, so his father is against him going to sea.

In 1651 he goes to London. The ship he is on is wrecked.

From London he decides to sail to Guinea, now the ship is captured by a Turkish corsair. Robinson is enslaved. For two years, he has no hope of escaping, but when surveillance weakens, Robinson finds an opportunity to escape. He, the Moor, and Xuri are sent out to fish. Throwing the Moor overboard, he persuades Xuri to run away together.

Portuguese ship picks them up at sea andshipped to Brazil. Robinson sells Xuri to the captain of the ship.

In Brazil, the main character settles down thoroughly, buys land, works, in a word, comes to the "golden mean", which his father so dreamed of.

However, the thirst for adventurism pushes him to travel to the shores of Guinea for labor. Neighbors-planters promise to run the household in his absence and hand over the slaves to him on an equal basis with everyone else. His ship is wrecked. He alone remains alive.

Barely reaching the shore, Robinson spends his first night in a tree. From the ship he takes tools, gunpowder, weapons, food. Robinson realizes that the island is uninhabited. Subsequently, he visits the ship 12 times and finds a "heap of gold" there, philosophically noting its uselessness.

Robinson arranges for himself a secure home. He hunts goats, and then domesticates them, establishes agriculture, builds a calendar (notches on a pillar). After 10 months of staying on the island, he gets his own "cottage", which the main character has in a hut in that part of the island where hares, foxes, turtles are found, melons and grapes grow.

Robinson has a cherished dream - to build a boat and swim to the mainland, but what he has built can only allow him to travel near the island.

One day the main character discovers a footprint on the island: for two years he has been terrified of being eaten by savages.

Robinson hopes to save the savage, who is destined "to be slaughtered" in order to find a comrade, helper or servant.

Towards the end of his stay on the island, Friday appears in his life, whichhe teaches three words: yes, no, sir. Together they free the Spaniard and Friday's father, captives of the savages. Shortly thereafter, the crew of an English ship arrives on the island, which has captured its captain, his assistant and the passenger of the ship. Robinson frees the captives. The captain takes him to England.

In June 1686, Robinson returns from his journey. His parents are long dead. All proceeds from the Brazilian plantation are returned to him. He takes care of two nephews, marries (at 61), he has two sons and a daughter.

Reason for the book's success

The first thing that contributed to the success of the novel is the high skill of the one who wrote Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe did an enormous amount of work on the study of geographical sources. This helped him to describe in detail the features of the flora and fauna of the uninhabited island. The author's obsession with his work, the creative upsurge he experienced - all this made his work unusually reliable, the reader sincerely believed in Defoe's intention.

The second reason for success is, of course, the fascination of the plot. This is an adventurous adventure novel.

The author of the work "Robinson Crusoe", whose heroes we all know, made the main character an ordinary ordinary person, distinguished, however, by courage and energy.

The dynamics of the development of the personality of the main character

It's easy to imagine that at first, once on the island, Robinson felt the deepest despair. He's just a weak manleft alone with the sea. Robinson Crusoe is out of touch with what he is used to. Civilization makes us weak.

However, he later realizes how lucky he is to be alive. Realizing his position, the main character begins to settle down on the island.

During twenty-eight years of life on a desert island, Robinson learned a lot that helped him survive. Remoteness from civilization forced him to master the skills of making fire, making candles, dishes, oil. This man made his own house, furniture, learned to bake bread, weave baskets, and cultivate the land.

Perhaps the most valuable skill that Robinson Crusoe has received over the years is the ability to live, not exist in any conditions. He did not grumble at fate, but only did everything to make his life on the island better, hard work helped him in this.

Psychological nature of the novel

The work about Robinson Crusoe can rightfully be considered the first psychological novel. The author tells us about the character of the protagonist, the trials that he endures. The one who wrote Robinson Crusoe, unusually accurately tells about the experiences of a man on a desert island. The writer reveals the recipe, thanks to which the main character finds the strength not to lose courage. Robinson survived because he managed to pull himself together and work hard without giving in to despair.

In addition, Defoe endowed the main character with the ability to analyze his behavior. Robinson kept a diary, which for a long time was his only interlocutor. The protagonist learned to see the good ineverything that happened to him. He acted, realizing that things could be much worse. A difficult life required him to be an optimist.

About the character of the protagonist

Robinson Crusoe, chapters of Defoe's work tell us a lot about this hero - a very realistic character. Like any other person, this sailor has good and bad qualities.

In Xuri's case, he manifests himself as a traitor, unable to empathize with others. It is characteristic, for example, that Friday calls him master, and not friend. Robinson himself speaks of himself as the owner of the island or even as the king of this land.

However, the author endows the main character with many positive qualities. He understands that only he can be responsible for all the misfortunes in his life. Robinson is a strong personality who constantly acts and achieves improvements in his destiny.

About the author

The life of Daniel Defoe himself is also full of adventures and full of contradictions. After graduating from the theological academy, he, however, throughout his rather long life was engaged in commercial enterprises associated with great risks. It is known that he was one of the participants in the uprising against the royal power, after which he went into hiding for a long time.

All his activities were connected with a dream that is clear to many: he wanted to get rich.

Already by the age of 20, he became a successful businessman, but subsequently went bankrupt, after which, escaping from a debtor's prison, he lived in a shelter for criminals under an assumed name.

Later he became a journalist and became an influential political figure.

Defoe was hiding from creditors until the end of his days and died all alone.