Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) *
Early Life and Education He was born in London in a Puritan family He was educated at one of the best Dissenting Academies He changed a lot of jobs His political inclinations changed according to hopes and achievements * *
The Novelist Robinson Crusoe, 1719 Moll Flanders, 1722 Captain Singleton, 1720 A Journal of the Plague Year, 1722 Memoirs of a Cavalier, 1724 * *
The Father of Modern Journalism He wrote almost exclusively in prose Essays, pamphlets and travel books Articles for newspapers and magazines 1704 The Review * *
Robinson Crusoe It is the first English novel It has a first-person narrator fake autobiography Places are described in detail Time is accounted for in a precise manner Possible source A Cruising Voyage Round the World Robinson is the celebration of the English mercantile hero * *
Robinson & Friday He is the archetype of thecolonialist Robinson and Friday modern colonialism: Name giving European clothes European language New religion Technical superiority * *
The Story Robinson goes to sea despite his father’s advice During one of his trips he is shipwrecked on a desert island Gradually he manages to live a comfortable life He rescues Friday, the prisoner of a group of Indians The two live together on the island: Robinson is the master, Friday is his servant Robison is rescued by a ship and sails back to England * *
Moll Flanders A fictitious autobiography She is the personification of the modern woman The happy ending shows Defoe’s didactic and moral concern * *
The Story An abandoned child, born in Newgate prison She realizes that to exploit her beauty and intelligence is the chance to make her way in the world She marries several times She goes to jail and is sentenced to the penal colony of Virginia She becomes a rich and respectable woman * *