Robinson Crusoe (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Daniel Defoe, L. J. Swingle

From Barnes & Noble

Based on a real-life incident, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young man who yearns to escape the mundane world and set sail for a life of adventure in faraway places. Defying his father's wishes he leaves on board a ship, then finds himself marooned on a tropical island where he wrestles with his fate and ponders the nature of God and man. The world has gotten smaller since Defoe penned his novel, but the human imagination still looms large. So even in today's world of space exploration, this story of an ordinary man struggling to survive has not lost its appeal for modern readers.

From the Publisher

Robinson Crusoe is widely regarded as the first English novel, and it endures as one of the most popular and influential adventure stories of all time. Daniel Defoe’s classic tale of shipwreck and survival on an uninhabited island was an instant success when first published in 1719 and has inspired countless imitations, prompting Jules Verne to admit: "We have all written ‘Robinsons,’ but it is a moot question if any of them would have seen the light had it not been for their famous prototype."

In his own words, Robinson Crusoe tells how a terrible storm drowned all his shipmates and left him marooned on a deserted island. Forced to overcome despair, doubt, and self-pity, he struggles to create a life for himself in the wilderness. From practically nothing, Crusoe painstakingly learns how to make pottery, grow crops, domesticate livestock, and build a house. His many adventures are recounted in vivid detail, including a fierce battle with cannibals and his rescue of Friday, the man who becomes his trusted companion.

Full of enchanting detail and daring heroics, Robinson Crusoe is a celebration of courage, patience, ingenuity, and hard work. This edition collects both the first and second parts of Defoe’s rousing adventure.

Introduction and Notes by L. J. Swingle
Professor in the English Department at the University of Kentucky, L. J. Swingle is the author of The Obstinate Questionings of British Romanticism (Louisiana State University Press, 1987), Romanticism and Anthony Trollope (University of Michigan Press, 1990), and a variety of essays and reviews.

Daniel Defoe was born in London in 1660 into a Puritan household. Defoe’s great interest in politics led him in 1685 to join a rebellion against King James II, a Roman Catholic. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the subsequent overthrow of James II by William III, Defoe entered the secret service and gained King William’s favor. During this time he wrote polemical pamphlets and a wildly popular poem, The True-Born Englishman (1701). Having earned high respect as a writer, Defoe played both sides of the field to earn his living, writing political tracts and gathering intelligence on secret missions. Turning his talents to fiction, Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe (1719), which was welcomed by a public hungry for exotic and adventurous tales. Sequels quickly followed, as did his classic work Moll Flanders (1722).


"Defoe’s book comes to us from an early-eighteenth-century world of human experience that called for visions of triumph, an orientation of thought that anxiously needed to believe in the possibility of a Crusoe, an Everyman, achieving success. To Everyman, in the age when Robinson Crusoe was published, reliable comfort was not so sure a thing as we like to believe it is for us today."—from the Introduction by L. J. Swingle

Publishers Weekly

Newly abridged by Timothy Meis, James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans comes to life under the paintbrush of N.C. Wyeth, with illustrations originally published in 1919. The artist offers readers a close-up view of the French and Indian War, in paintings such as British colonel Duncan's struggle against a Huron warrior or the Mohican Chingachgook similarly fighting off another Huron warrior in the clearing of a wood. Wyeth's paintings also accompany Meis's adaptation of Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe, due out in February.

Children's Literature

As they have done with other stories in the "Eyewitness Classics" series, DK has retold the tale using the original words of the author but in an abridged form. Then, the editorial team has added information to put the story in context. Background about the era, ships, a sailor's life and the danger of pirates provide lots of easily absorbed information, especially since the text and the factual insets are illustrated with photographs, paintings, drawings, maps and artifacts. The story of Crusoe's survival on an island all alone for twenty-three years is amazing. Then comes his rescue of Friday and their subsequent years of amiable companionship. With Friday's help he defeats cannibals, rescues a captain whose crew had mutinied and returns to civilization. Kids who haven't read this story will be caught up in the suspense, intrigued by Crusoe's ingenuity and pleased at the ending.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Defoe's classic novel of shipwreck and survival, now nearly 300 years old, is abridged competently in this recording. The flavor of the 18th century language is retained, but the plot moves along at a pace more appealing to 21st century ears. The reader, Martin Shaw, has a pleasant voice, but unfortunately tends to trail off at the ends of sentences, losing whole words. As with all abridgements, large sections of the story and entire characters are omitted, but since most of the book tells of Crusoe's solitary sojourn on the island, this is not a major problem. This version is no substitute for the original, but it would be a supplemental purchase in libraries where abridgements are popular.-Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, Morgan Hill, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Product Details

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Table of Contents

Reading Group Guide

1. Robinson Crusoe is regarded as one of the first English novels. What were the qualities that defined the English novel? How has the meaning of the word "novel" changed? Do we use the term more loosely now or has it evolved into something entirely different?

2. Defoe's novel is also thought to be one of the earliest examples of the use of psychological realism. Defoe posits himself as "editor" and Crusoe as the author. How does his use of voice and point of view differ from that of his contemporaries? How much of his fiction might be influenced by his background in journalism and nonfiction?

3. How much of Robinson Crusoe is supposed to be "real" and journalistic and how much is intended to be allegorical? How does Defoe use Crusoe to espouse certain values? In what sense is the book a morality story?

4. Examine Crusoe's relationships with Xury and Friday. Critics have seen Robinson Crusoe as representative of British colonialism and imperialism, glorifying the subjugation of other cultures. How does Defoe seem to comment on the institution of slavery and issues of race?

5. How do Robinson Crusoe's experiences on the island comment on the society from which he has been separated?

6. How does what we now call the Protestant work ethic pervade Defoe's novel? Robinson seems to channel all of his energy into the pursuit of manual labor; the story is a series of daily routines and a tribute to work. To what end? Is his newfound work ethic accompanied by a spiritual awakening?

7. How is value established on Crusoe's island? How does the language of economics inform the text?

8. What is the nature of RobinsonCrusoe's relationship with his environment? Does he regard his surroundings as hostile? Does he seek to re-create the landscape?

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