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Historical content of D.Defoe's Robinson Crusoe....

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This essay is about Robinson Crusoe, in which will be found a brief explanation of the historical context of Daniel Defoe’s period. By checking the situation of that time, we will have a better view of what influenced Defoe on his writings. The choice of doing an essay about Robinson Crusoe is explained by the fact that Defoe’s fictional work was considered the first English novel, which was inspired by the real experiences of a sailor named Alexander Selkirk. Defoe also called my attention, because before becoming a fiction writer he was engaged in different careers such as businessman, journalist, spy and political hanger-on. Defoe’s experiences on many careers helped him to be a writer concerned with the political situation of his society. In his writings, there are always allusions to the political and economic problems of the eighteenth century.

DEVELOPMENT:

In the eighteenth century, London was growing very fast and continuously, because of the Industrial Revolution and the migration of poor peasants, which helped London become one of the largest cities of the world. Industrialization happened and, with it, also came merchants, sailors, thieves who populated the city that started facing problems such as traffic jams, pollution and diseases. While facing this chaos, rich people preferred to flee to their country states instead of living among so many problems. It was in this disordered society where Daniel Defoe rose as a businessman, journalist, spy and political follower making a lot of money. Defoe was raised in the tradition of capitalism and Puritanism by his parents in two Presbyterian schools where he acquired knowledge in various scientific subjects. Defoe became a merchant and as a hotheaded man was involved in a rebellion, he was taken to prison. After his release, he became engaged in political pamphleteering which pamphlets helped him to guarantee audience for future works. The experiences of his life helped him to create some of his works such as Robinson Crusoe. In this history, the reader will not find some features of the romantic period such as the adventure of a hero, but the reader is supposed to face a prudent hero. That is said, because Crusoe was engaged in business wherever he was travelling to, even to desert island. He was

so interested in money that he could not resist the temptation of taking the coins from the places he visited: But preparing the twelfth time to go on board, I found the wind begin to rise. However, at low water I went on board, and though I thought I had rummaged the cabin so effectually as that nothing more could be found, yet I discovered a locker with drawers in it, in one of which I found two or three razors, and one pair of large scissors, with some tem or a dozen of good knives; in another, I found about thirty-six pounds value in money, some European coin, some Brazil, some piece of eight, some gold, some silver.

It was said that, in Robinson Crusoe, the hero was not supposed to be like a romantic hero, but there are some romantic features that could be found in this novel such as the individualism of the man of the 18th century. Crusoe is too much concerned with business, which helps to confirm his materialism. By giving the description of how he built his house, he used many times the words my, me and I, emphasizing his individualism: When I had done this, I began to work my way into the rock; and bringing all the earth and stones that I dug down out through my tent, I laid them up within my fence in the nature of a terrace, so that it raised the ground within about a foot and a half; and thus I made me a cave just behind my tent, which served me like a cellar to my house.

Crusoe did not intend to adapt himself to the wild environment he was living in. He wanted to adapt himself to his own ideas and thoughts, in order to make the place where he was living as much as possible like the society he has left behind. And meeting Friday helped him to emphasize this idea, because their relationship was like master and servant, representing, this way, the attitudes of people from the British Society at that time.

CONCLUSION:

In this essay, some themes related to the romantic period were portrayed in order to make up a comparison between some characteristics of the romanticism and Daniel Defoes novel. By

making this comparison, we conclude that Defoe did not build a hero such as the ones portrayed in the romanticism. Crusoe was a businessman, a typical man of the 18th century, concerned with the urban life, although he was living out of it. His triumphs and frustrations in that wild world can represent the readers feeling of living in a society like that of the 18 th century and, maybe, a representation of our society nowadays. There is also a relation between this British novel and a Brazilian novel called Guarani, in which the hero (an indian) does not have the features of a wild man. In fact, the protagonist Peri is a gentleman who looks like a man from the European society, a civilized man. Crusoe was, then, similar to Peri because both did not seem to be men of the romantic period.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

CCAA, The Research and Planning Department of. A Brief View of British Literature. ( First Edition: 1991 ). Florida: Publishing House. DEFOE, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. ( First Edition: 1719 ). London: Penguin Books, 1994....