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eastofmeridian's review against another edition
1.0
My god is this book insufferable and monotonous. The protagonist is without a doubt the least likeable character I've ever come across. If I didn't have to read this for a class I would have thrown it away within the first 20 pages.
I'd also like to say that every e-book I looked at for this story is riddled with programming errors which turn sentences into nonsense or just plain unreadable.
Overall your life is better having not read this book so be warned.
I'd also like to say that every e-book I looked at for this story is riddled with programming errors which turn sentences into nonsense or just plain unreadable.
Overall your life is better having not read this book so be warned.
catherine_hopper's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
reading_with_your_head_low's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dyno8426's review against another edition
4.0
Robinson Crusoe is a meditation on the relationship of Man and Nature, through a sailor marooned in a desolate island for around 28 years. It is bound to evoke reader's thoughts with respect to defining Man's position among the Nature that he inhabits. Interestingly, this brought home the realisation that right from the early times when theology was used to understand the world around us, to the modern era when science enlightened humanity about its origins and its destinies, Man has always been at the centre of Nature and it is natural for Man to depend upon Nature's elements for its consumption and survival. Our collective consciousness has unanimously agreed upon using nature's resources for its disposal and has always found it acceptable. It is intuitive to reason it out as a necessity for the continuation of our species. And even sustainable consumption whose awareness is becoming more prominent with the emerging problems, it is undoubtedly aligned with a belief to prolong mankind's sustenance in the environment provided to us. This idea separates Man from Nature and disjoints his empathy from the Nature. He is allowed to create, change and destroy according to his wish because Nature is not a part of him in this perspective.
Right from the imperial times when this book was written, when Man had become curious and capable enough to explore what other parts of Nature has to offer him, Robinson Crusoe's Christian beliefs, appropriate enough for his times, reflect the same perspective of Man being endowed with Nature's gifts and to utilise them as it pleases him. But this belief system is questioned indirectly through his mental discourses and solitary adventures when he encounters cannibals plaguing his solitude and safety. It is challenged by understanding who all are entitled to exploit this relationship between Nature and Man and more importantly, who decides this membership? Why is cannibalism unnatural when consuming other living beings belonging to Nature is? Is it because of a natural empathy aroused by a mirroring of consciousness that makes killing other human beings for food despicable, or is it because of an underlying perversion which threatens humans' sustenance as a specie motivated by evolution theories? While Robinson Crusoe uses theology to resolve this conflict (by identifying Man in the same cannibals and Providence as a guiding factor in putting different people in different stations of life which defines their behaviour), the modern reader can evaluate his/her own belief system to understand the unnatural-ness of these acts.
Another part which I identified as being thought provoking was the contrast with the book "Lord of the Flies", where we see the innocence of a bunch of kids (stranded in an island in the same manner) slowly receding in a struggle for survival and how survival instinct surfaces among them with time, revealing the inherent primitiveness of Man's nature. Compared to the shocking narrative of Man dissolving into Nature's brutality and indifference, Robinson Crusoe instead becomes more aware of his human-ness than before. His philosophical rumination about Man's place in Nature defines his purpose not just as survival, but as retaining his consciousness of the world that he belongs to. One could question whether the only difference in these two cases was the factor where Robinson Crusoe was able to salvage important things necessities for daily survival (like tools, arms and ammunition, and even food to begin with) from the shipwreck. If human contact and empathy with another human was any factor in reinforcing Man's position with Nature, then those boys from Lord of the Flies would have never undergone their evolution back in time and Robinson Crusoe would have been the only caveman alive. But it turns out that the stuff from his past "civilised" life instead served as a constant reminder of the collective consciousness of Man and were physical evidences of Man's accumulated evolution in controlling Nature. This maybe reinforced the belief that he was supposed to remain the Man in this equation. He was an entity whose victory in this battle for survival lied in symbiosis with Nature - surviving along with it, but without losing its own character of Man. Looking beyond the adventures that it contains, it thus becomes more than a survival guide for sailors stranded after shipwrecks, or a 28-year long episode of Man v/s Wild.
Right from the imperial times when this book was written, when Man had become curious and capable enough to explore what other parts of Nature has to offer him, Robinson Crusoe's Christian beliefs, appropriate enough for his times, reflect the same perspective of Man being endowed with Nature's gifts and to utilise them as it pleases him. But this belief system is questioned indirectly through his mental discourses and solitary adventures when he encounters cannibals plaguing his solitude and safety. It is challenged by understanding who all are entitled to exploit this relationship between Nature and Man and more importantly, who decides this membership? Why is cannibalism unnatural when consuming other living beings belonging to Nature is? Is it because of a natural empathy aroused by a mirroring of consciousness that makes killing other human beings for food despicable, or is it because of an underlying perversion which threatens humans' sustenance as a specie motivated by evolution theories? While Robinson Crusoe uses theology to resolve this conflict (by identifying Man in the same cannibals and Providence as a guiding factor in putting different people in different stations of life which defines their behaviour), the modern reader can evaluate his/her own belief system to understand the unnatural-ness of these acts.
Another part which I identified as being thought provoking was the contrast with the book "Lord of the Flies", where we see the innocence of a bunch of kids (stranded in an island in the same manner) slowly receding in a struggle for survival and how survival instinct surfaces among them with time, revealing the inherent primitiveness of Man's nature. Compared to the shocking narrative of Man dissolving into Nature's brutality and indifference, Robinson Crusoe instead becomes more aware of his human-ness than before. His philosophical rumination about Man's place in Nature defines his purpose not just as survival, but as retaining his consciousness of the world that he belongs to. One could question whether the only difference in these two cases was the factor where Robinson Crusoe was able to salvage important things necessities for daily survival (like tools, arms and ammunition, and even food to begin with) from the shipwreck. If human contact and empathy with another human was any factor in reinforcing Man's position with Nature, then those boys from Lord of the Flies would have never undergone their evolution back in time and Robinson Crusoe would have been the only caveman alive. But it turns out that the stuff from his past "civilised" life instead served as a constant reminder of the collective consciousness of Man and were physical evidences of Man's accumulated evolution in controlling Nature. This maybe reinforced the belief that he was supposed to remain the Man in this equation. He was an entity whose victory in this battle for survival lied in symbiosis with Nature - surviving along with it, but without losing its own character of Man. Looking beyond the adventures that it contains, it thus becomes more than a survival guide for sailors stranded after shipwrecks, or a 28-year long episode of Man v/s Wild.
colaloopa's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
endlessmidnight's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
Definitely a fun and incredibly heartwarming books
jlabrie337's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A good classic book that describes a fun setting on a deserted island. It really makes you think about what you would do in certain scenarios if put in that situation. I personally didn't like how much it seemed to drag on towards the end, with lots on repetitive talk about daily activities that we've already learned about. Otherwise, it was a fun read
sohxpie's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Firstly it would be rather ignorant to judge a book published in 1719 with my 2024 mindset, society obviously has vastly different values now. With that in mind, how crazy is it that this book was written over 300 years ago?! Anyway I only read it because it was on my 'Top 100 Books' poster but unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it. I found it incredibly difficult to read with the lack of chapters, I really struggled to know when was a good point to pause reading and then when I went to continue reading, I couldn't make sense of where I was. It was rather frustrating. I will say that Defoe did a fantastic job at writing the time jumps and covering such a long time period in a relatively short novel. It was all so natural, the narrator mentions something he did and casually drops how long he's been on the island. There are no sudden jarring time jumps or drawn out passages, it's simple and effective. I really enjoyed that aspect of the novel. Story wise, I felt that the latter part of the novel when other characters such as Friday were introduced, was more entertaining. Personally I enjoy more action and character interaction so the first part of the novel was fairly boring for me. I guess I can see why this novel is still fairly important today but on the other hand, I feel like there are several other books and authors who should have been included in my Top 100 list instead. I wouldn't say I'm glad I read this novel but at least I can now say I have read it.
kscaldwell's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5