Robinson Crusoe

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: 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.