On 2008-12-25 Christopher Culver, wrote: The name ´Robinson Crusoe´ readily conjures up images of a sad castaway on a desert island, who after years of solitude comes up a man´s footprint in the sand. But in reading Daniel Defoe´s novel of 1719, I was surprised how different the work is from its common stereotype. Not until about 50 pages in does Crusoe end up a castaway, having before hand some misadventures as a young sailor. Instead of washing up on his island with just the clothes on his back, he in fact is able to get a great many useful tools and implements from his still intact wreck. And the man´s footprint, instead of being the sign of another Crusoe subsequently encounters, is just a sign that some cannibals from the mainland visit the island on occassion.
All in all ROBINSON CRUSOE is an entertaining novel, one with much adventure and intrigue. One gets a lot of pleasure from reading of how Crusoe turns the basic furnishings of the island to his own use, having by the end of his confinement there such things as cheese, three houses, two canoes, and pottery. ROBINSON CRUSOE is also an interesting portrait of the times, for it was much influenced by popular attitudes of the early 1700s. Crusoe occasionally voices his dislike of the Spaniards, their atrocities in the Americas, and their Roman Catholic religion. But Defoe is hardly more charitable to the Native Americans, whose ignorance and godless depravity Crusoe deplores constantly.
To criticize a 300 year-old classic might be a silly exercise, but I doubt many readers will find this novel an elegantly crafted work. It´s repetitive, for one. How many times do we need to read that Crusoe is reluctant to kill the maneaters? And the writer didn´t seem to know when to stop, for after Crusoe´s return to civilization we get an unnecessary battle with wolves in the woods of France. No wonder that the novel has so often circulated in abridgement.
I read this book in the Penguin Popular Classics edition, ISBN 0140623154, which I would recommend if you just want some reading material without making a permanent addition to your library. It is printed on poor quality paper, but is priced quite low. It has no notes or commentary, but you really don´t need them. Indeed, I´m surprised how smoothly readable ROBINSON CRUSOE is considering that it was written in the English of 300 years ago (even later works like TRISTRAM SHANDY present more of a challenge), and I´d even recommend it to a young person wanting just a fun adventure story.. And summed up by saying A surprisingly readable 300 year-old adventure, though the early 18th century evidently lacked editors. Currently Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions) has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions) can also be found in the following searches:
Dover Publications claimed A shipwreck’s sole escapee, Robinson Crusoe endures 28 years of solitude on a Caribbean island and manages not only to survive but also to prevail. A warm humanity, evocative details of his struggle to tolerate his lonely existence, and lively accounts of his many exploits make Robinson Crusoe the most engaging of narrators. All readers with a taste for adventure will relish this inexpensive edition of one of the most popular and influential novels ever written.
Item that are similar to Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions) can be found at: