World Classics Series - New Translation of Robinson Crusoe

Author: (English) Daniel Defoe (Defoe, D.) wrote; Translated by Zeng Chongming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Daniel Defoe, an English journalist and novelist, is hailed as the "Father of English Novel and Journalism" and is world-famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Born in London in 1660, Defoe received a secondary education. Later, he engaged in various businesses and traveled to Spain, Morocco, and Italy. He participated in many events and had numerous adventures. In 1719, Defoe wrote the novel Robinson Crusoe based on accounts of sailors and exiles, achieving unexpected success. Robinson Crusoe depicts the protagonist Robinson, who defies his father's wishes and is naturally fond of adventure. He embarks on three voyages and ultimately ends up shipwrecked on a deserted island. With unwavering perseverance and hard labor, he not only survives but also transforms his environment, cultivating plantations and pastures, and building a dwelling. Twenty-four years later, Robinson rescues a wild man from a neighboring island and names him "Friday" as his servant. Later, Robinson helps the captain of a British ship anchored on the shore subdue a mutiny among the crew, recapture the ship, and sails back to England with them. Robinson Crusoe creates a fresh artistic image of Robinson, full of the spirit of the era, with an engaging storyline, realistic natural settings, and detailed descriptions. It breaks the rigid rules of classicism and the ornate, hollow style of writing, paving the way for British realistic Enlightenment novels and becoming the first truly realistic novel in England. Robinson was born into a respectable merchant family, yearning for seafaring and eager to explore the world overseas. He secretly set sail without his father's knowledge. On his first voyage, he encountered a violent storm, his ship sank, and he barely escaped with his life. On his second voyage to Africa for trade, he made a fortune. On his third voyage, he suffered misfortune again, was captured by Moors, and became a slave. Later, he escaped in the master's small boat but was rescued by a Portuguese merchant ship. After arriving in Brazil, he bought a plantation and became a landowner. Unsatisfied with such wealth, he set sail again to Africa to trade slaves. During the voyage, the ship encountered a storm and ran aground, resulting in the death of all crew and passengers, except for Robinson, who survived alone and drifted to a desolate island. Using the ship's mast, he built a raft and repeatedly transported food, clothing, weapons, and tools from the ship to the shore, settling in a tent by a small hill. Next, he drove sharpened stakes around the tent to build a fence and dug a hole behind the tent for shelter. With simple tools, he made tables, chairs, and other furniture, hunted wild game for food, and drank from a stream, overcoming the initial hardships. He began to grow barley and rice on the island, making his own wooden mortars, pestles, and sieves to grind flour and bake coarse bread. He captured and domesticated wild goats, allowing them to breed. He also made pottery and other necessities to ensure his survival. Despite this, Robinson never gave up on finding a way to leave the island. He felled a large tree and spent several months building a single-log boat, but the boat was too heavy to drag to the sea, so he had to abandon the project and start building a smaller one. After living alone on the island for 17 years, one day, Robinson discovered human bones and signs of a fire on the island's coastline. He realized that a group of wild men from a nearby island had held a cannibal feast there. Robinson was horrified. From then on, he remained vigilant and paid closer attention to his surroundings. By the 24th year, another group of wild men arrived on the island, bringing captives to be killed and eaten. Robinson rescued one of them. He named the rescued native "Friday" and, thereafter, Friday became Robinson's loyal servant and friend. Later, Robinson rescued a Spaniard and Friday's father with Friday's help. Soon, a British ship anchored near the island, and the crew rebelled, abandoning the captain and two others on the island. Robinson and Friday helped the captain subdue the mutineers, recapture the ship, and leave the island. Robinson left the mutineers on the island while taking Friday and the captain back to England. By then, Robinson had been away from home for 35 years. He married and had three children in England. After his wife's death, Robinson set sail again for trade and passed by the island where he had lived. By then, the sailors and Spaniards left on the island had settled and started families. Robinson brought new settlers to the island, distributed land to them, and left them with various daily necessities, leaving the island with satisfaction.