The Enlightenment. The 17th – 18th century literature Plan

2. Daniel Defoe (1661 -1731)
Daniel Defoe ['dӕnjəl də'fəu] was born in 1661 in London in the family of a well-to-do butcher. Daniel's father was wealthy enough to give his son a good education. His father wanted him to become a priest, therefore at the age of 14 he was placed in an academy to get the training of a priest, & remained there for the full course of five years.
But Daniel Defoe didn't like his profession as, in his opinion, it was neither honorable nor profitable. He became a merchant. Several times he went bankrupt because he was more interested in politics than in business. Being a merchant he travelled much & collected a lot of material, which he used later in his writings.
Several times in his life Daniel Defoe was persecuted. Thus in 1702 he wrote his pamphlet "The Shortest Way with the Dissenters". The pamphlet looked as if it had been written in support of the High Church. In fact Daniel Defoe described the cruel Measures taken by the High Church. For this pamphlet Defoe was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Besides he had to stand in the pillory in a public square.
In 1719 Daniel Defoe tried his hand in another kind of literature – fiction & wrote his famous novel "Robinson Crusoe"['rɒbinsn 'kru:səu]. After the book was published, Defoe became famous &rich.
3. Robinson Crusoe
Books about voyages & new discoveries were very popular in the 18th century. But Daniel Defoe was more preoccupied with politics & didn't think of trying his hand at writing adventure stories. But a story in one of the magazines attracted his attention. It was about Alexander Selkirk, a Scotch sailor. He lived 4 years alone on a desert island. Selkirk's story interested Daniel Defoe so much that he decided to use the story for a book. His hero, Robinson Crusoe, however, spent 26 years on a desert island.
The charm of the novel lies in Robinson as a person. Defoe shows the development of his personality. At the beginning of the story we see an inexperienced youth, a rather frivolous boy, who then becomes a strong-willed man, able to withstand all the calamities of his unusual destiny.
Defoe was a great master of realistic detail. When reading his description of Crusoe's life & work, one feels that the person who wrote it must have lived through all those adventures himself, because they are so well described, even though most of them are rather impossible.
Robinson Crusoe's most characteristic trait is his optimism. His guiding principle in life became "never say die". He had confidence in himself & in man & believed it was within the man power to overcome all difficulties & hardships. Another of Crusoe's good qualities, which saved him from despair, was his ability to put his whole heart into everything he did. He was an enthusiastic worker & always hoped for the best.
Robinson Crusoe like Daniel Defoe himself is very practical. The beauty of the island has no appeal for him. He does not care for scenery. He regards the island as his personal property. He takes pride in being the master of the island & is pleased at the thought that everything around him belongs to him. This is also seen in the fact that he decides to keep the money he finds in the ship, although he knows that it will be of no use to him on the island.
Crusoe considers his race to be superior to all other races. As soon as a man appears on the island, Crusoe makes him his servant. "Master" is the first word he teaches Friday to say.
Crusoe believes in God & the hand of Providence. In desperate moments he turns to God for help.
The novel "Robinson Crusoe" is a glorification of practicalness & energy, yet when concentrated in an individual man these qualities are exaggerated. According to Defoe, man can live by himself comfortably & make all the things he needs with no other humans, no other hands to assist him.
Defoe is a writer of the Enlightenment. He instructs people how to live; he tries to teach what's good & what's bad. His novel "Robinson Crusoe" is not merely a work of fiction, an account of adventures, a biography & an educational pamphlet; it is a study of man, a great work showing man in relation to nature & civilization as well as in relation to labour & property.