ROBINSON CRUSOE
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Crusoe, leaves home when he was 19 years old
he travels around the world to make his fortune
Born in York in 1632
his first voyage leads him to Guinea and then back to England
He becomes the owner of a plantation in Brazil and sets out on a voyage to Africa to get more slaves
during this journey he is shipwrecked on a desert island where he will remain for 28 years
when he returns to England, he discovers that his plantation in Brazil has made him very rich
ISLAND
Robinson organises a primitive empire
he didn't want return to nature, but dominate nature
ideal place for Robinson to prove his qualities
FRIDAY
Attractive and lively, he becomes the symbol of the colonised.
Robinson rescues him, teaches him the word ‘master’, Western culture and to read the Bible
is the first native character
Robinson is restless, refuses the model provided by his father and wants to find his identity
Pragmatic, individualistic outlook, rational approach to reality
STYLE
clear and precise details;
description of the primary qualities of objects;
First-person narration
simple, matter-of-fact and concrete language.
SOCIETY
The society Robinson creates on the island is
Though God is the prime cause of everything, the individual can shape his destiny through action
an exaltation of 18th-century England
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
religious references to God, sin, providence, salvation
The hero reads the Bible to find comfort and guidance.
Defoe explores the conflict between economic motivation and spiritual salvation.