Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Daniel Defoe
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel DefoeBrand: Dover Publications
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-06-10
ISBN: 0486404277
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Dover Publications
Book Reviews of Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions)
Book Review: Influential Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
Robinson Crusoe is one of the few books that truly everyone should read and that nearly everyone who reads anything but current bestsellers has read. This has almost as much to do with its incredible importance and near-unmatched influence as inherent quality, though this last is substantial. The book has long been called the first Western novel, and it remains one of the most widely-read and beloved nearly three centuries later and continues to hold a mighty sway over writers and the popular consciousness.
There are many reasons for this. Most obvious and important is sheer readability; the book's age is near-unbelievable, as it reads almost as well as ever despite archaic spellings and punctuation. Unlike nearly all classics, it need not be drastically edited, footnoted, and introduced for comprehension. This is hardly true of even many twentieth century works, much less ones of such vintage. Even casual readers who have almost no experience with classics, to say nothing of ones three hundred years old, can pick it up with practically no trouble. Fast-paced and deeply engrossing, it quickly draws us in and never lets go. Initial readers thought it simply too good to be true; they had never seen anything like it - scarcely even thought it possible -, flocking to it as people now flock to blockbuster films and for much the same reason. This persists to a surprisingly large degree; the book is immensely entertaining even after all this time, drawing in readers of all ages and continuing to be frequently referenced, parodied, and adapted.
The plot itself is of course also key. Robinson is a rollicking, suspense-filled, action-packed adventure of the sort that did not really reappear until over a century later with writers like Dumas. The book was immediately seen as first-rate escapism and continues to be such; we lose ourselves in Crusoe's adventures in a way few books - or any other medium - allow. It is near-ubiquitously imitated - so many clichés began here that it is almost unbelievable - but never equaled.
The character of Crusoe is also profoundly important. One of literature's great figures, he captured initial readers' imaginations in an unprecedented way and is still a towering presence. Drastically different as his experience is from all but a few people's, he has the common humanity and verisimilitude necessary for a truly identifiable character. We feel with and for him almost as if we are him, experiencing his ups and downs much as if we lived them.
This points to another integral facet - stirring realism. Daniel Defoe set a new standard here, and it has in many ways rarely been equaled. Conventionally fantastic as Crusoe's adventures are, the near-documentary style has made them at least as real for millions of readers over centuries as anything in history books or the news - or even their own lives. This ground-breaking, titanically influential feature dramatically changed the very idea of what fiction could be - nay, in the view of most novel historians, all but invented it, at least in the West. Literature has never been the same, and many would say it has never been as good.
Robinson is also of great historical value. Though clearly far from showing what everyday early eighteenth century European life was like, the book gives a very good idea of its thoughts and customs as well as much background information. This lends Robinson value beyond literature but also brings up the greatest difficulty in reading it today - the glorification of values long since rightly deemed unacceptable. Strongly Eurocentric, many parts of Robinson now seem distinctly racist, and it unashamedly champions colonialism - a movement whose destructive tendencies we have learned all too well - when still in its heyday. Some will not be able to get past this, which is understandable, but it is important to see that Robinson was truly a product of its time - indeed in many ways epitomized it. Influential critics even see it is an unapologetic colonialist allegory. This is not an excuse but an explanation. The book shows the early eighteenth century world as it seemed to Europeans - bad as well as good; some of the latter would not have been thought so at the time, but this only increases the historical value. Robinson is thus almost ethnographical - though, as with the allegory interpretation, this was almost certainly not Defoe's intent; its sociological value is probably at least as great as its historical value. More fundamentally, despite a plot that was always in many ways fantastic and has now become so popular as to seem almost hopelessly clichéd, the book remains viable because it speaks to something deep within it. Though not philosophical or otherwise containing the depth of meaning some find essential to truly great literature, its vivid dramatization of can-do optimism in utter adversity's face has always appealed to the best in us. The eternal values of courage, determination, and perseverance have rarely been better or more memorably shown, making Robinson one of the most timeless depictions of the human spirit's endurance.
One admittedly large caveat aside, Robinson is simply essential for anyone even remotely interested in literature. The few who may be reading this and have not read it must do so immediately.
As for this edition, it is important to remember that, like others in the Dover Thrift series, it is bare bones - only a short headnote besides the text. Anyone wanting extra will have to look elsewhere, but this will suffice for most, as few classics are less in need of supplemental material.
Summary of Robinson Crusoe (Dover Thrift Editions)
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.
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