Robinson Crusoe

Rating:
Summary: Not As Good As Other Classics But Still Worth One Read
Review: Robinson Crusoe lives an unsettled life, until Fate settles it for him by leaving him shipwrecked on a tropical island. The island has an abundance of resources, and Crusoe is a resourceful survivor-type, so survival is never really an issue. Sanity is more an issue, although Dafoe writes Crusoe as a bit too adaptable to be credible. The beginning of the book, and the very end, are well-paced and well-written, but the large middle is slow and overly detailed. An undercooked loaf of bread might be good around the edges, but disappointingly doughy inside; this description fits this book as well. Nonetheless, it is a classic, and one of the earliest adventures written. There are many issues in the book that now seem archaic, but they did fit their historical time-period.

Rating:
Summary: Necessity is the mother of Exploitation
Review: Written in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is one of the first adventure novels, and its clear action and detailed portrayal of a man stranded make it a classic.

The book gets off to a fast start, with a series of storms and escapes that make you think the action will never stop-but then it does. For about a hundred pages, or twenty-four years of Crusoe's life, we suffer a dry spell of isolation right along side the narrator.

Now here's what bothers me about this hundred-page dry spell: Crusoe turns out to be an absolutely ingenious handy-man, perfectly suited for island life. We're never in suspense of whether our man will live or die from day to day. He turns out to be an able carpenter, cook, hunter, builder, farmer-whatever he needs, the hero has the uncanny ability to whip up out of the convenient natural abundance of the island.

This combination of the flawless man in an unlimited environment becomes incredibly annoying after a while. The only real obstacle is loneliness, and the narrator's psychology is so cheery that even this seems trivial. I would have much rather heard a few curses at fate than the disgustingly admirable optimism that pervades the book. And that's why I think the time spent alone on the island-what many consider to be the essence of this book-is abominably boring. About the midpoint of the book, however, something unexpected happens and the action picks up again, diverting us from the irritating perfection and complacency of the hero.

There are lots of rumors going around that this book is politically incorrect. I'll just say that if you're not put off by: animal mutilation, British Imperialism, Native American massacres, proselytizing, religious fanaticism, portrayals of other races as brutish and uncivilized, cannibalism, exploitation of Africans, exploitation of Native Americans, exploitation of Muslims, tobacco farming, kidnapping, selling children into slavery, or just plain subjugation of others and the natural world-I say, if you can get past these things and accept them as part of the times (18th century England), then you might consider giving this a read.

Rating:
Summary: "castaway" + "lord of the flies" = Robinson Crusoe
Review: By now you know that Robinson Crusoe is a tale of a man shipwrecked on a deserted island. He lives off the land for 20-some years and develops all sorts of survival skills. With that said, here is my review:

My assignment in English class was to choose a book from the Romantic period. There was an abundance of girly stories, so I chose a book that I would feel comfortable reading--Robinson Crusoe.

The book is not terribly long, like other books in this era (Three Musketeers), though it is not a quick read. The book is enjoyable, but it took a lot of sitting down and trying to focus. It was easy to read, probably suitable for 8th graders, but I had trouble getting through the book, especially during the slow parts, and I'm a fast reader.

Robinson Crusoe is filled with religion, which put me off a bit. While I don't want to spoil anything, he allows freedom of religion on his island, but tries to make his Protestant buddy Friday convert to Christianity.

This story is definitely worth reading, especially because at some point you'll probably need to read it for school. It's a fun book, however it has dark moments, and some questionable incidents, such as selling a comrade into slavery. It is one of the better school-books I've read, having suffered through Scarlet Letter and other Puritan literature.

This book has been popular since it was published in the 1700s, an impressive feat. It is clearly a classic novel, and the sketchy scenes were normal back in the Romantic period. Slavery, racism, and no PETA means that this book was written without the limits we see today. Go ahead and read it if you like adventure or the movie Castaway. Four stars for good plot, good character development, bad slow parts, and overkill religious devotion.

Rating:
Summary: A Multifaceted English Classic
Review: Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel, "Robinson Crusoe," written when Defoe was 59 years old, is a multifaceted work whose layers of significance can easily escape those who read it in their youth. The English precursor to the survival/adventure/shipwreck narrative, "Robinson Crusoe" details the career of an errant youth who discovers hope and faith through experimentation. Crusoe's exploits are also important to a developing early 18th century notion of the ideal industrious middle class citizen, as well as reaffirming the growth of British Imperialism.

As a boy in a household already fractured by rebellious sons, Crusoe lives aimlessly with his father and mother, always desiring to leave the confines of his home for the sea. Against the better wisdom of his father, who advises him to remain where he is and enjoy the fruits of an easy-going middle class life, Crusoe takes to the ocean. A series of ill-omened occurrences, including shipwrecks and enslavement lead Crusoe to a deserted island off the coast of South America, where he is forced to provide and fend for himself.

Though Crusoe's spiritual awakening has been much noted in reviews, one important facet of his Christian moralizing in the novel that is noteworthy is the way the novel problematizes Protestant-Catholic relations throughout the novel. The vast majority of Crusoe's early encounters are among Spanish and Portuguese colonists and traders. It is interesting how Crusoe measures the English against them, and how that comparison extends into Crusoe's evaluation of the various 'savages' he comes across in the novel.

Another great layer of significance in "Robinson Crusoe" concerns its attitudes toward English history and colonial ventures. Note the language of possession, authority, and control that colour Crusoe's descriptions of himself and the uninhabited island he must learn to live on. I find especially telling, in accordance with his religious views, how England's 18th century colonial competitors, the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and French, are characterized by Crusoe.

I could also cite the often explicitly homoerotic undertones in the relationship between Crusoe and his Native American manservant, Friday, as a source of compelling interest in Defoe's novel. In the realm of the socio-economic, Crusoe's appropriation of utilitarianism in regards to raw materials, money, and even people is an important theme. For those who have read it a million times or never, Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" is entertaining and edifying, always worth reading and rereading.

Rating:
Summary: what a great book!
Review: This is very interesting. Robinson Crusoe lives with his family and wants to be a sailor. But his dad says it's not right. At age 18 he runs away, and sails, then becomes a slave, until finally gets trapped in an island without any people. He meets friday, and a lot of stuff happens. In the end he gets rescued.

There's a lot of things to be told, which I won't do. I think you should read this book if you like adventure and stuff like that. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An Unknown Classic
Review: Robinson Crusoe is one of the most famous stories that we all know. What most don't know is that the story is about much more than simply being shipwrecked. It's about man's view on God and his place in the universe and his faith in himself. RC is a good book, though I think a bit laborious. I think that the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks has conditioned us to think of shipwreck stories lasting only a few years. This story lasts 26 years and is, as a result, very elaborate. I found it interesting to see how the author delved so deeply in the main character's religious beliefs and how they so strongly impacted his thoughts and actions. The book did have a bit too much of a feel good aspect to it in that things were either going very well or very poorly for the castaway, though I think that is somewhat symptomatic of the time it was written in. The work is perhaps more impressive when you consider that it was basically illegal to write this kind of story back then. It had to be written from the first person perspective, almost as an historical or autobiographical piece in order for Defoe to get it published. To that end, this was truly one of the first of the novels in the historical genre that was later followed by Sir Walter Scott who wrote Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, among others.

Rating:
Summary: Ethan ...
Review: Robinson was born in York in 1632. He had two older brothers one was a lieutenant colonel to an English Regeiment and was killed. He never knew about his second brother. Robinson loved nothing but the sea. So he became a merchant traveling from contry to country. On one of his voyages he was caught in a storm. On one of his voyages he was cought in a storm and was shipwrecked. Whe the storm cleared he saw that he was near land. So he built a raft and went to shore. He built a shelter and lived in it. Once when he was exploring his island and met a man and named him Friday because he thought he met him on Friday.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting but disappointing in the end
Review: Having just watched Pirates of the Caribbean, and having studied the Maya Indians, I really enjoyed the "meat" of this book. Defoe takes the reader on a fast-paced narrative of an Englishman's adventures and introspections while stranded on an uninhabited Caribbean island. This is probably the best part of the book; the ending was irrelevant to Robinson's story on the island. I'm not spoiling anything by saying that in the end he is rescued from the island--this is obvious. Really, there is nothing to spoil because the end is just so utterly boring you'll be reading and reading, waiting for the climax, but there is none. I guess the book is good for its pedagogical value, but in terms of exciting adventure novels, you'll probably be disappointed in the end.

Rating:
Summary: I'm amazed...
Review: that I actually finished this novel. It's pacing is slow and uneven and the narrator repeats ideas and themes. The character is interesting, although flawed in character. After his wife dies, he leaves his children in England to be raised by other people while he pursues his adventures all around the world, often in the name of "Christianity". I think a true christian would have been less selfish and stayed with his children! He abandons them and runs around the world for the rest of his life. He never even talks about his children after leaving them! Some may point to R. Crusoe as an anti-imperialism novel, but for me, I was more impressed by his crappy parenting. I guess I'm glad I read it. Maybe it's considered a "classic" because we can all learn from Robinson.

Rating:
Summary: a quandary of a critical shipwreck
Review: Defoe's book is one of the first English novels and a prime example of Restoration literature because, hey, nothing reinvigorates a nation like a spicy tale of shipwreck and pirates. Loosely based on a true story, "Robinson Crusoe" is about a young sailor-trader-vagrant who runs away from home and his father's urgings to pursue law. His little sailing adventure quickly goes awry, and before long, visions of "Castaway" will dance in your head.

The bulk of the story takes place on the island where he's isolated for years, and years, and years, and without television or a good book. As a result, Defoe saturates this novel with description, preening into the tiniest details of daily shipwreck life. His focus on the mundane is wonderful - for the first 3 days of island captivity - but quickly bores after that. The true adventure lies in Crusoe's bold character rather than island logistics and could be further explored with the events that sandwiched his solitude.

Without a doubt though, this is a classic that leaves much to be digested. Crusoe is a timeless character, the aimless youth of yesterday, today, and tomorrow who stands ready to conquer the world but who's not quite sure how to go about it. It's no wonder why the emerging British middle class gobbled it up or why it continues to cater to the dreamers who feel an odd kinship to the bold Crusoe. For me though, this book is not a personal favorite; the action flows like molasses and the critical payoff is, in my estimate, not worth the 275 page investment. I'm also not fond of the prose, most of which comes off in Crusoe's proud, definitive bursts of declarative sentences.

In an edition note, I bought the Bantam Classic which is fine enough for a leisure read. If you're aiming at serious study or otherwise going for the authentic Defoe experience however, be forewarned that this version contains chapter titles not published with the original work. Buy another edition if you don't want spoilers.