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Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731). Daniel Defoe. 1. Defoe’s life. Born into a family of Dissenters in 1660. Studied modern languages , economics , geography , besides the traditional subjects. Started to write in Whig papers; his greatest achievement was The Review. Daniel Defoe. 1. Defoe’s life.

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Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)

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  1. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)

  2. Daniel Defoe 1. Defoe’s life • Born into a family ofDissentersin 1660. • Studiedmodern languages,economics,geography, besides the traditional subjects. • Started to write inWhigpapers; his greatest achievement wasThe Review. Only Connect ... New Directions

  3. Daniel Defoe 1. Defoe’s life • Queen Anne had himarrested, triedandimprisoned. • Denied his Whig ideas and became asecret agent for the new government. • Started to writenovelswhen • was about sixty. • Died in1731. Ron Embleton (1930-1988), Daniel Defoe. Private Collection. Only Connect ... New Directions

  4. Daniel Defoe 2. Defoe’s works • Robinson Crusoe(1719) • The story of a shipwreck on a desert island • Captain Singleton(1720) • The voyage story of a captain who becomes a pirate • Colonel Jack(1722) • The story of a pickpocket who repents Only Connect ... New Directions

  5. Daniel Defoe 2. Defoe’s works • Moll Flanders(1722) • The adventures of a woman who becomes a thief and a prostitute to survive but finally leads a respectable life • Roxana (1724) • The adventures of ahigh-society woman who exploits her beauty to obtain what she wants. Only Connect ... New Directions

  6. Fictional autobiographies. Daniel Defoe 3. Defoe’s novels: structure • A series ofepisodes and adventures. • Unifying presence of asingle hero. Only Connect ... New Directions

  7. Daniel Defoe 3. Defoe’s novels: structure • Lack of acoherent plot. • Retrospective first-person narration. • The author’spoint of viewcoincides with the main character’s. • Characters presentedthrough their actions. Only Connect ... New Directions

  8. Daniel Defoe 4. Robinson Crusoe: the middle-class hero Robinson shares restlessness with classical heroes of travel literature An act of transgression, of disobedience His isolation on the island after the shipwreck Only Connect ... New Directions

  9. Daniel Defoe 5. Robinson Crusoe: a spiritual autobiography Full of religious references to God, sin, providence, salvation The hero reads the Bible to find comfort and guidance Defoe explores the conflict between economic motivation and spiritual salvation Only Connect ... New Directions

  10. Daniel Defoe 6. Robinson Crusoe: the island The ideal place for Robinson to prove his qualities Robinson organizes a primitive empire Not a return to nature, but a chance to exploit and dominate nature Only Connect ... New Directions

  11. Daniel Defoe 7. Robinson Crusoe: the individual and society The society Robinson creates on the island is not an alternative to but an exaltation of 18th-century England, its ideals of mobility, material productiveness, and individualism Though God is the prime cause of everything, the individual can shape his destiny through action Only Connect ... New Directions

  12. Clear and precise details. Daniel Defoe 8. Robinson Crusoe: the style • Description of the primary qualities of objects. solidity, extension and number • Simple, matter-of-fact and concrete language. Only Connect ... New Directions

  13. Daniel Defoe 9. Moll Flanders Insights into some social problems Set in urban society Women were not able to support themselves legally in 18th-century society Moll is Crusoe’s female counterpart The novel includes «documents» Moll rejects emotional experience Only Connect ... New Directions

  14. Daniel Defoe 9. Moll Flanders • It has insights into some social problemslike crime and the provisions for poor orphans. • Moll rejects emotional experience, seen as an impediment to the accumulation of capital. • The novel includes «documents»– Moll’s memorandums, quoted letters, hospital bills – in order to increase the illusion of verifiable fact. Only Connect ... New Directions

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