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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
First this book is incredibly boring, then it becomes super racist, and then it goes back to boring again. What a load of piss.
What I learned from this book is that not every book that is called a classic earns that title.If this hadn't been on my Feb bookshelf then I wouldn't have finished it.
I know this is regarded as the first english language novel but that doesn't excuse the fact that it is badly written.
Robinson Crusoe is a complete and utter idiot, he never learns from his mistakes and never takes advice from anybody. Maybe it's just me but if the very first ship you are on sinks perhaps you should take it as a sign, but not him off he goes again and ends up as a slave. He escapes and is rescued by a too good to be true captain and makes a good life for himself in Brazil, but even then that is not enough. So when some of his friends decide they want more slaves he is selected to make the trip to buy them and of course being Robinson the ship is struck by a hurricane while in the Carribean. Sounds bad so far doesn't it and it only gets worse.
I know that I shouldn't complain about the attitude towards slavery in the book as it was a different time period and it is historically accurate but I just found it really hard to stomach, in fact it made me wish that Friday had been a cannibal.
I have read this book before but I was about ten and you don't really pick up on the racism and all the other things that are wrong with this book at that age. Then you just think about the adventure of being on a desert island. The reason I read this again is because a few weeks ago I was having dinner with my Mum and she was watching what I thought was I very bad adaptation. Turns out it was the source material that was the problem and based on that there was no way you could ever make a good version.
I know this is regarded as the first english language novel but that doesn't excuse the fact that it is badly written.
Robinson Crusoe is a complete and utter idiot, he never learns from his mistakes and never takes advice from anybody. Maybe it's just me but if the very first ship you are on sinks perhaps you should take it as a sign, but not him off he goes again and ends up as a slave. He escapes and is rescued by a too good to be true captain and makes a good life for himself in Brazil, but even then that is not enough. So when some of his friends decide they want more slaves he is selected to make the trip to buy them and of course being Robinson the ship is struck by a hurricane while in the Carribean. Sounds bad so far doesn't it and it only gets worse.
I know that I shouldn't complain about the attitude towards slavery in the book as it was a different time period and it is historically accurate but I just found it really hard to stomach, in fact it made me wish that Friday had been a cannibal.
I have read this book before but I was about ten and you don't really pick up on the racism and all the other things that are wrong with this book at that age. Then you just think about the adventure of being on a desert island. The reason I read this again is because a few weeks ago I was having dinner with my Mum and she was watching what I thought was I very bad adaptation. Turns out it was the source material that was the problem and based on that there was no way you could ever make a good version.
Not what I initially imagined the story to be, but very interesting nonetheless.
As with other 18th century texts, for me anyway, it was an odd experience. I had previously read Moll Flanders, which produced the same feeling. Maybe it is the relative lack of chapter divisions, the almost-not-quite-modern syntax, usage, etc. Overall I’m glad I read it. I can see a whole range of allegorical possibilities (as was also the case with Moll Flanders). The huge bear/wolf fight sequence at the end sort of encapsulates the randomness of my experience.
Ironically, I was led to this novel after having read Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island," which is not among the many works cited by the editor of this edition in discussing the vast influence of Defoe's work on later writers. Like many classics, this novel (which is cited as the first major novel in English) is well-known, but little-read. I, thus, welcomed the opportunity to balance reputation, summarization, and bastardization with a close examination of the original work which inspired it all. I was not disappointed, either, although "Robinson Crusoe" leaves the modern reader with a plethora of questions, particularly regarding Defoe's intent.
On the one hand, Crusoe's tribulations become a crucible in which his faith is first focused, and then tested. On the other hand, while the ultimate power of providence is acknowledged repeatedly in a series of philosophical musings, Crusoe lives by the creed that God helps those who help themselves. This spirit, additionally imbued with the sensibilities of the Age of Enlightenment and the nascent Industrial Revolution, produces a well-rounded portrait of that school of thought which would lead, in its extreme, during the following century, to all the grotesque excesses of Manifest Destiny.
Defoe as storyteller is adept enough, but he reveals himself and, thus, his era, in any number of ways. Crusoe, for example, is uninterested in asking Friday his name; he simply assigns the name of Friday to him. Similarly, he never refers to any of the ancillary characters by name, even when their actions have been pivotal to his own preservation. Both the animate and the inanimate, the intelligent and the brute have equal utility to Crusoe, and utility is the only value he recognizes. It is thus that, by today's measure, Crusoe seems to fall considerably short of heroic, although when read within its historical perspective, his character becomes more enlightening (if not enlightened) to the reader.
On the one hand, Crusoe's tribulations become a crucible in which his faith is first focused, and then tested. On the other hand, while the ultimate power of providence is acknowledged repeatedly in a series of philosophical musings, Crusoe lives by the creed that God helps those who help themselves. This spirit, additionally imbued with the sensibilities of the Age of Enlightenment and the nascent Industrial Revolution, produces a well-rounded portrait of that school of thought which would lead, in its extreme, during the following century, to all the grotesque excesses of Manifest Destiny.
Defoe as storyteller is adept enough, but he reveals himself and, thus, his era, in any number of ways. Crusoe, for example, is uninterested in asking Friday his name; he simply assigns the name of Friday to him. Similarly, he never refers to any of the ancillary characters by name, even when their actions have been pivotal to his own preservation. Both the animate and the inanimate, the intelligent and the brute have equal utility to Crusoe, and utility is the only value he recognizes. It is thus that, by today's measure, Crusoe seems to fall considerably short of heroic, although when read within its historical perspective, his character becomes more enlightening (if not enlightened) to the reader.
Better than I thought it would be. Listened to audio cd of it. Tuned out some of the dryer parts. Did anyone else perceived a bit of undercurrent anti-religions sediments?
Just finished this classic as part of my "100 books before you die" challenge. 94 down, only 6 more to go.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook
I love this book because it offers adventure, has been read by many generations, and provides unsettling insight into the transatlantic slave trade, which I didn't expect. Unsettling because of how nonchalant Crusoe is about it. I also appreciate his spiritual reflections, as they made me evaluate the good things in my life, such as nearly six years of sobriety. He was on the island 28 years, 2 months, and 18 days. Coincidentally, I have been at my job for the nearly same length of time that Crusoe was on the island. When it gets to be exactly that, I will celebrate my “Robinson Crusoe Anniversary,” September 26, 2025.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Robinson Crusoe is a cat-murderer and a racist, enough said.