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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
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
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.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Man on island befriends native. Tender portrait of humanity which introduced 'the novel' into popular discussion.
I think this was one of the longest books I've ever read. I enjoyed the story, but I really think that it could have ended when he got off the island and got married. The other adventures after seemed frivolous and unnecessary. Also, why would you want to keep traveling after you've been trapped on an island for 30 years?
So you find yourself in a deserted island: what do you do first? Maybe explore it? Oh no, don't be impatient! First you must spend about a year building a proper, civilized home, and then you can peek outside. But just a peek, because your second year you should be pretty busy making pots and pans and growing grain so that you can, yes!, reinvent English cooking! Of course, a full exploration will have to wait until the sixth year, but you will have done far more important things by then, like, praying a lot and becoming even more racist and ethnocentric than you were when you first arrived.
This book is boring and completely devoid of any insight, spirit or thought beyond the most basic Christian platitudes. It is amusing to see Robinson deal with Friday who, even when he learns "to speak" (he doesn't learn English, no, he learns "to speak") never utters his real name: I found particularly hilarious the moment when Friday puts Robinson's foot on his own head, which Robinson unequivocally interprets as a generous offer to be "his slave forever".
Some idiotic reviews out there say that one should take on account the historical context and blah blah blah: BS. There are plenty of much older books, from the Iliad to Cervantes and Shakespeare (a 100 years earlier) that do not fall into this book's many, many errors, both ideological and literary.
This book is boring and completely devoid of any insight, spirit or thought beyond the most basic Christian platitudes. It is amusing to see Robinson deal with Friday who, even when he learns "to speak" (he doesn't learn English, no, he learns "to speak") never utters his real name: I found particularly hilarious the moment when Friday puts Robinson's foot on his own head, which Robinson unequivocally interprets as a generous offer to be "his slave forever".
Some idiotic reviews out there say that one should take on account the historical context and blah blah blah: BS. There are plenty of much older books, from the Iliad to Cervantes and Shakespeare (a 100 years earlier) that do not fall into this book's many, many errors, both ideological and literary.