Daniel Defoe`s ” Robinson Crusoe”, regarded by many to be first novel in English, is also the original tale of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote desert isl&. This ” Penguin Classics” is edited with an introduction & notes by John Richetti. The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert isl&. In his journal he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter & clothes, enlists the help of a native islander who he names ` Friday`, & fights off cannibals & mutineers. Written in an age of exploration & enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of `natural man`, or as a moral fable. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe`s transformation from terrified survivor to self-sufficient master of an isl&. This edition contains a full chronology of Defoe`s life & times, explanatory notes, glossary & a critical introduction discussing ” Robinson Crusoe” as a pioneering work of modern psychological realism. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) had a variety of careers including merchant, soldier, & political pamphleteer. Over the course of his life Daniel Defoe wrote over two hundred & fifty books on economics, history, biography & crime, but is best remembered for the fiction he produced in late life, which
Includes:: ” Robinson Crusoe” (1719), ” Moll Flanders” (1722) & ” Roxana” (1724). Defoe had a great influence on the development of the English novel & many consider him to be the first true novelist. If you enjoyed ” Robinson Crusoe”, you may like Alexandre Dumas` ” The Count of Monte Cristo”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”. ” Robinson Crusoe” has a universal appeal, a story that goes right to the core of existence”. (Simon Armitage).