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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i am genuinely surprised at how low the ratings are for this. sure, robinson crusoe is a right bastard. a self righteous, arrogant, horror of a man with no thought for anyone but himself. yet still, i enjoyed the novel thoroughly. partially, even, because of how much i despised the protagonist.
in fact, what i think people should take from novels like this (ones that make you uncomfortable) is how very different the world is now, or how very different you are, and how positive that change is. indeed just because a character is bad, doesn’t make the novel bad. that uncomfortable feeling should be more prevalent in literature, in my opinion. the fact that crusoe was so blind to his own hypocrisy is a reminder to modern audiences that you are like that too sometimes. people should be not just aware but actively made to consider topics such as colonialism, racism, bigotry in general more often, and literature is a great comparative tool to achieve this.
in fact, what i think people should take from novels like this (ones that make you uncomfortable) is how very different the world is now, or how very different you are, and how positive that change is. indeed just because a character is bad, doesn’t make the novel bad. that uncomfortable feeling should be more prevalent in literature, in my opinion. the fact that crusoe was so blind to his own hypocrisy is a reminder to modern audiences that you are like that too sometimes. people should be not just aware but actively made to consider topics such as colonialism, racism, bigotry in general more often, and literature is a great comparative tool to achieve this.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
So a young man makes some poor decisions and ends up on a ship that crashes near a deserted island. He happens to be the only survivor, but for the first several months he absolutely FLOURISHES. This guys builds himself a little piece of heaven and knows neither fear nor hunger...
At least that's what I got out of the first third or so of the book--I simply could not even force myself to finish it! I get that it's a classic. Great. But not for me. I found the writing to be extremely droll and uninspiring; it reads like some terribly written diary (which some of it is). I count this book as "read" because I do not plan on returning to it. Sorry to all those who truly love Robinson Crusoe and his "adventures" but this story is not one that I enjoyed.
At least that's what I got out of the first third or so of the book--I simply could not even force myself to finish it! I get that it's a classic. Great. But not for me. I found the writing to be extremely droll and uninspiring; it reads like some terribly written diary (which some of it is). I count this book as "read" because I do not plan on returning to it. Sorry to all those who truly love Robinson Crusoe and his "adventures" but this story is not one that I enjoyed.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh. It's a product of it's time. Would the audiences in the 1700s enjoy and likely devour this? Yes. Especially the people who have never traveled and wonder how one could possibly survive.
From a modern perspective? Yikes. This is long, drawn out, and with a very unlikeable MC.
Good to read once, but never again.
From a modern perspective? Yikes. This is long, drawn out, and with a very unlikeable MC.
Good to read once, but never again.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
The classic adventure story that launched so many imitators and reinterpreters. Interesting to actually read it and it is an exciting adventure story (with added bits). Crusoe only seems to eat meat and bread though on that island of his, it's a wonder he didn't get scurvy or something.
The edition I read had a useful introduction written by Doreen Roberts that I enjoyed reading after the novel. (Why are introductions so rarely worth reading before you've read the book and why do they keep putting them at the front of books?) She discusses some of the context and themes of Defoe's writing that aren't that apparent for this modern reader and I was interested to read about his Dissenting background and the discussion about allegory vs realism in novels. It is a little odd that Crusoe can exalt the religious freedoms on his island and never even notice the imperialism and slavery.
The edition I read had a useful introduction written by Doreen Roberts that I enjoyed reading after the novel. (Why are introductions so rarely worth reading before you've read the book and why do they keep putting them at the front of books?) She discusses some of the context and themes of Defoe's writing that aren't that apparent for this modern reader and I was interested to read about his Dissenting background and the discussion about allegory vs realism in novels. It is a little odd that Crusoe can exalt the religious freedoms on his island and never even notice the imperialism and slavery.
adventurous
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had to read it for a course. There is no other reason I would read this. The character was frustrating and he went on for like fifteen pages about how he made bread. It’s very slow paced and I slammed the book down multiple times because the character frustrated me so much.