Robinson Crusoe (Wordsworth Classics) [Paperback]

What a wonderfully entertaining story. And so refreshingly politically incorrect. We all know the gist of the story - some poor fellow marooned on an uninhabited island - but until just now I'd never read the original work. I didn't know how Crusoe came to be there or how he was eventually "delivered" and what became of him. I loved it.

Admittedly there were tiresome interludes - so many of them - when Crusoe turns to God, prays to God, questions God, loses faith, regains faith and preaches to the reader, but even these were quite profound in a self-help manual kind of way. Then there was Crusoe's post-Friday obnoxious, imperious behaviour. I almost laughed out loud when the first words Crusoe taught Friday were to call him "Master". Having said this he does learn to love Friday, albeit as a man loves his dog. He always called him a "savage" too. Also his famous slave-trading, kitten-drowning and bear-baiting escapades hardly endear him to the reader. What a guy! But I shouldn't really judge him (and he's fictional, though based on a Mr Selkirk) by today's standards.

A few points of interest I noted: I thought it very strange how lenient Crusoe was to the mutineers who landed on his shore with their prisoner, their deposed captain, whose name, incidentally, we never learn. He not only taught them all he had learnt as regards how to survive, but gave them supplies from the captain's ship and promised to send a ship to relieve them later! This he later did, bringing more slaves (presumably) and supplies. He also left them all his money. He also left the Spaniards on the mainland in the lurch and to the mercy of the now gun-toting mutineers. Why didn't he wait a while? Oh, and he hardly mentions God again as soon as he's safely away from the island.

The introduction - which the reader is advised to peruse after having read the book - didn't really interest me that much. It went a little over my head. One small quibble I have is that the text wasn't broken up into chapters in this edition, which was a little unusual and not a little awkward.

Isn't it funny, also, to think of all the people who have read this book since it was first published in 1719? It's worth reading if not only for its historical place in English literature and as the progenitor to a whole genre.

A REVIEW OF `ROBINSON CRUSOE' BY DANIEL DEFOE

Almost three centuries have passed since `Robinson Crusoe' was first published in 1719. In that time, the novel has arguably become a victim of its own success. So many times has the tale been told and re-told, that we all seem to assume that we know the story* and therefore neglect the original novel itself. In short, `Robinson Crusoe' has become immortalised by being condensed into a simplistic plot summary: "The book about the man who gets stranded on a desert island." This over-simplification has been intensified by the countless other `classic' novels which have been heavily influenced by `Robinson Crusoe'. These include, Johan Weiss's `Swiss Family Robinson' (1812), R. M. Ballantyne's `The Coral Island' (1857), Jules Verne's `The Mysterious Island' (1874), and R. L. Stevenson's `Treasure Island' (1883) to name but a few. In more recent years, the film `Castaway' and television's `LOST' have dealt with the book's central theme. Even the great Laurel & Hardy got in on the act in 1951 with their final film, `Atoll K', which was released under various titles including 'Robinson Crusoe Land'. In fact, so familiar have we become with the premise of `Robinson Crusoe', that we risk losing sight of what a truly great and relevant book it is.

* For the purposes of this review, I have deliberately avoided telling the story where possible.

In his 2011 BBC Television series devoted to seminal fictional characters, Sebastian Faulks chose to begin with none other than RC. Perhaps the greatest appeal of the character is his humility (The story is narrated in the first-person and Crusoe's tone throughout is highly self-critical.) and resourcefulness. During his remarkable 28 years on the island, Crusoe drags himself from the depths of despair and self-pity to create a surprisingly convincing solitary way of life, which reveals real ingenuity and creativity in terms of setting up his home(s) and sustainable lifestyle. Many of the novel's key themes still resonate today. Crusoe's existence in many ways smacks of `The Good Life' and raises the question, "How much does man really need to be happy?" As the novel progresses, our hero's discovery of a solitary footprint in the sand leads to wild speculation about its owner, leading him to swing from optimistic highs to pessimistic lows. The dizzying analysis echoes the media-frenzies of the 21st century which inevitably follow any `major' event which shakes the status-quo.

Perhaps the greatest misconception about `Robinson Crusoe' is that it is a children's book. This view owes much to its simplistic retellings. However, the story deals with a range of `big' issues, including religious faith, colonialism and cannibalism. In fact, within its pages, there is some pretty strong violence (albeit described with 18th century reserve).

Of course, not everything about a 300-year-old novel still rings true. To the reader used to 21st century prose, Defoe's written style takes a little getting used to. Similarly, the actual action set-pieces of the story are rather top and bottom heavy, coming thick-and-fast at the story's beginning and end. Indeed, it does rather stretch credibility to accept that for almost two decades not a soul should appear on Crusoe's island, given that, by the novel's conclusion, it (almost) resembles Southampton docks with all of its comings and goings! However, perhaps the most unbelievable aspect of the tale if the hero's lack of concern about any human company for such a protracted period of time, especially that of the opposite sex.

Nevertheless, despite some inevitably creaky joints, `Robinson Crusoe' deserves to be dusted of and read as a novel in its own right. Among its surprises, `Robinson Crusoe' saves the biggest until last. The story ends with our hero stating that he will recount more of his experiences at a later date, which explains the publication in 1720 of Defoe's `Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe'. Now how many of us who think that they know the book knew of this sequel?

Yes, by virtue of its own appeal, the essential premise of `Robinson Crusoe' has been regurgitated countless times over the years. However, for those who enjoy the `classics' or for those who like to genuinely escape into a book, `Robinson Crusoe' still has much to make the modern reader want to cut all ties with the modern world and drift away...

Barty's Score: 8.5/10

Robinson Crusoe is best taken at two levels, the literal adventure story of survival on an isolated island and as a metaphor for finding one's way through life. I recommend that everyone read the book who is willing to look at both of those levels. If you only want the adventure story, you may not be totally satisfied. The language, circumstances, and attitudes may put you off so that you would prefer to be reading a Western or Space-based adventure story with a more modern perspective.

Few books require anyone to rethink the availability and nature of the fundamentals of life: Water, food, shelter, clothing, and entertainment. Then having become solitary in our own minds as a reader, Defoe adds the extraordinary complication of providing a companion who is totally different from Crusoe. This provides the important opportunity to see Crusoe's civilized limitations compared to Friday's more natural ones. The comparisons will make for thought-provoking reading for those who are able to overcome the stalled thinking that the educated, civilized route is always the best.

One of the things that I specially liked about the book is the Crusoe is an ordinary person in many ways, making lots of mistakes, and having lots of setbacks. Put a modern Superhero (from either the comic books, adventure or spy novels, or the movies) into this situation, and it would all be solved in a few minutes with devices from the heel of one's shoe. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I liked the trial-and-error explorations. They seemed just like everyday life, and made the book's many lessons come home to me in a more fundamental way.

Have a good solitary trip through this book!