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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
Unrated because DNF. I wanted to read Robinson Crusoe (that is NOT the full title) because it is so famous but I was also trepidatious because now I come to think of it I have never heard anyone talk about the plot or seen any adaptations. The character names and the footprint in the sand imagery have long surpassed the actual narrative. It's also very old so quite difficult to read both in style (dialogue isn't really a thing yet) and because half the words are spelled weirdly. He rambles on seemingly endlessly sometimes so I had to skip ahead and yet other dramatic moments are skimmed over.
Anyway, it is first person, and Crusoe tells us of what an impulsive young man he was and how he makes extremely ill-advised decisions that would eventually lead to his ruin. So essentially we are stuck in the mind of a really dislikeable character. And then during one scene he kills a sleeping lion for a laugh, and it's really brutal and grim, and I just thought 'I can't stand this character, I don't care what happens to him', so I think I'm done.
Anyway, it is first person, and Crusoe tells us of what an impulsive young man he was and how he makes extremely ill-advised decisions that would eventually lead to his ruin. So essentially we are stuck in the mind of a really dislikeable character. And then during one scene he kills a sleeping lion for a laugh, and it's really brutal and grim, and I just thought 'I can't stand this character, I don't care what happens to him', so I think I'm done.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
read this for a uni class. when you consider the historical and social context of this book you can sort of look past the blatant racism and colonial messages but even excluding those aspects this book just didn’t do much for me. i found it fairly boring and robinson crusoe to be a unlikeable protagonist. i just find it hard to pity a guy who was advised his whole upbringing to be content and not pursue adventures on the sea, who then gets on a boat and it immediately shipwrecks him???? also his personality just felt so flippant, one second he had a God-complex, calling himself the king of the island and thanking ‘Providence’ for rescuing him, and then the second something goes wrong he works himself up and suddenly forgets how blessed he is????
the only real thing that saved this book for me was the moments where defoe was strangely really profound and progressive???? there’s a few monologues (specifically in regards to robinson’s encounters with the cannibals) that were really interesting, e.g his recognition of his and their differing cultural perspectives and how he doesn’t have the right to murder them just because he disagrees with them
anyways i probably wouldn’t read it again it just wasn’t for me
the only real thing that saved this book for me was the moments where defoe was strangely really profound and progressive???? there’s a few monologues (specifically in regards to robinson’s encounters with the cannibals) that were really interesting, e.g his recognition of his and their differing cultural perspectives and how he doesn’t have the right to murder them just because he disagrees with them
anyways i probably wouldn’t read it again it just wasn’t for me
"I am not superstitious; I have read a heap of books in my time; I am a scholar in my own way. Though turned seventy, I possess an active memory, and legs to correspond. You are not to take it, if you please, as the saying of an ignorant man, when I express my opinion that such a book as Robinson Crusoe never was written, and never will be written again." Gabriel Betteredge in The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.
Really interesting perspective into the way Christianity dominated thinking and literature for so long. Lots of "othering". White superiority, intense judgment of others, double standards, etc.
It was also interesting to read about how many of the same interpersonal issues (e.g. between parents and children) still exist today.
It was also interesting to read about how many of the same interpersonal issues (e.g. between parents and children) still exist today.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read for class and I was dreading reading this book because of how boring it seemed. Somehow it was worse than I thought. Hundreds of pages of the most mundane tasks in excruciating detail, and casual racism everywhere. (I get that this is from the 1700s and that was the general attitude of the British towards racialized people so I expected it. However, reading this literally brought nothing and was super unenjoyable to begin with, so it made reading about the racism/colonialism feel extra pointless.) I could literally not bring myself to care what happened to the main character and wasn’t interested in his story at all. There are much better classics, travel writing, survival stories, etc out there and I wish I could have read one of those instead of this absolute waste of time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I think knowing the tale is enough. The actual text itself isn't that entertaining, go watch castaway instead.