Robinson Crusoe (Illustrated Edition)

Author: Daniel Defoe (English)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Robinson Crusoe expresses through a vivid and engaging story that with ambition, perseverance, and a love for labor, one can achieve extraordinary things. This is the reason why Robinson Crusoe has not lost its brilliance and never will. Robinson Crusoe is a work from the early stages of the development of British realistic fiction, so it is not yet refined in art. The first three voyages of Robinson Crusoe rarely have anything appealing, and the segment about encountering wolves in the mountains of France from Portugal is both cliché and unremarkable. The part about living on the desert island has some repetition in the narration, and the characters are generally depicted rather crudely, with a simple and straightforward structure. In terms of characters, they are used like borrowed tools and then discarded. This flaw is not too prominent in Robinson Crusoe, but it is very noticeable in Defoe's other novels. Defoe played a certain role in the development of British literature. He paved the way for realistic fiction. The characters he wrote about were ordinary middle and lower-class people in real life—Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders were characters that had never been portrayed before. For the general reader, Defoe's greatest achievement is the creation of Robinson Crusoe. This literary masterpiece was warmly welcomed by people upon its publication. It was published in April 1719 and had already been reprinted four times by August. By the end of the 19th century, there were no fewer than seven hundred different editions, translations, and even adaptations of Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe vividly helps us understand some characteristics of human society at a certain historical stage, but this is far from its entire value. The part of the book about Robinson Crusoe's life on the desert island is the best part of the entire work. We are drawn by the unusual experiences. It is not ordinary for a person to live away from society for so long, and the author creates a strong sense of realism with very specific real events and details for us. We feel that Robinson Crusoe's actions in that environment are justified and possible. We feel that this event is both extraordinary and "true," and we are drawn to it even more. Some extraordinary true events may also attract us, we pay attention, we understand, but soon we forget them. This is because such events have nothing to provoke deep thought. But the story of Robinson Crusoe's life on the desert island is completely different. Besides its narrative and realism, it also has something to provoke thought. Robinson Crusoe does many specific things on the desert island, and the natural landscape of the island changes, as does his life. He faces many difficulties in doing every task, some of which seem even insurmountable, but he endures the tests of failure, with strong perseverance, and ultimately succeeds. He must work to eat and dress, and all his achievements are completed through his own labor. Robinson Crusoe vividly shows readers what one's labor can accomplish. Robinson Crusoe expresses through a vivid and engaging story that with ambition, perseverance, and a love for labor, one can achieve extraordinary things. This is the reason why Robinson Crusoe has not lost its brilliance and never will.