Summary
Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, first published in 1719, is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential works in English literature. The tale of a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad has captivated readers for centuries with its vivid depiction of survival, solitude, and self-reliance. Robinson Crusoe launched the genre of realistic fiction and spawned countless imitations and adaptations across literature, film, and popular culture. Its enduring themes of adventure, faith, and human resilience continue to resonate with audiences.
Plot
Robinson Crusoe follows the adventures of the title character, an English sailor marooned on a tropical island near Trinidad. After surviving a shipwreck during a storm, Crusoe finds himself the sole survivor on an uninhabited island. Over many years, he learns to build shelter, grow crops, raise livestock, and make pottery using supplies salvaged from the shipwreck. During his isolation, he faithfully reads the Bible and becomes deeply religious.
Crusoe's solitary existence is interrupted when he discovers cannibals occasionally visit the island to kill and eat prisoners. One day, he rescues a prisoner from the cannibals and names him Friday, after the day of the week. Crusoe teaches Friday English and converts him to Christianity. The two become companions as Crusoe continues to dream of escape. Years later, an English ship appears near the island. Crusoe helps the captain retake control of the ship from mutineers, finally securing passage off the island after 28 years.
Upon returning to England, Crusoe learns his family believed him dead, and he was left out of his father's will. He travels to Lisbon to reclaim profits from his plantation in Brazil, which has made him wealthy during his absence. Crusoe ultimately transports his newfound fortune overland to England to avoid sea travel. The novel concludes with Friday accompanying Crusoe on one final adventure fighting off wolves while crossing the Pyrenees mountains.
Themes
Survival and self-reliance
Isolation and solitude
Religion and providence
Colonialism and cultural imperialism
Civilization versus nature
Economic individualism
Personal growth and redemption
Setting
Robinson Crusoe takes place primarily in the mid-17th century, spanning the years 1651 to 1687. The story begins in York, England, where the titular character is born. Against his parents' wishes, Crusoe embarks on a sea voyage that sets the stage for his later adventures.
The bulk of the novel is set on a remote tropical island off the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea. Crusoe is shipwrecked on this uninhabited island, which he dubs the “Island of Despair,” and spends 28 years as a castaway. The island serves as the backdrop for Crusoe's struggle for survival and his eventual mastery over his environment. Defoe vividly depicts the lush tropical setting, with Crusoe cultivating crops, raising animals, and creating a miniature civilization for himself.
In the latter part of the story, the action briefly shifts to other locales. Crusoe makes a voyage to the nearby mainland of South America. The narrative also touches on Brazil, where Crusoe owned a plantation, and Portugal, where he settles some of his affairs. The novel concludes with Crusoe's overland journey through the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France as he returns to England, bringing his global odyssey full circle.
Characters
Robinson Crusoe: The protagonist and narrator, an Englishman who becomes a castaway on a remote tropical island for 28 years.
Friday: A native man whom Crusoe rescues from cannibals and who becomes his loyal servant and companion.
Xury: A boy who briefly accompanies Crusoe after they escape slavery together.
The Portuguese Captain: He rescues Crusoe off the African coast and helps him establish a plantation in Brazil.
The Widow: An English friend who manages Crusoe's financial affairs while he is away.
The Spaniard: A man Crusoe and Friday rescue from cannibals who later helps them leave the island.
Friday's Father: Another native man, who is rescued by Crusoe and Friday from cannibals.
Crusoe's Father: A merchant who advises Crusoe against going to sea.
The Captain of the Salé Rover: A Moorish pirate who enslaves Crusoe.
The Mutineers: English sailors who mutiny against their captain and are left on Crusoe's island.
Quick facts
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is considered by many to be the first English novel.
The novel’s original title was 183 words long, beginning with “The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner."
The character of Robinson Crusoe was likely inspired by the real-life Scottish castaway Alexander Selkirk, who spent over four years alone on an uninhabited island.
The novel was so popular that the names “Robinson Crusoe” and “Friday” entered into the English language as common expressions.
Defoe wrote two sequels to Robinson Crusoe, though they were not as successful as the original novel.
Crusoe's “Island of Despair” was likely based on the Caribbean island of Tobago, though Defoe never actually visited the Caribbean.
Despite being a work of fiction, many early readers believed Robinson Crusoe was a true account of actual events.
Crusoe's parrot, Poll, is one of the earliest examples of a talking animal character in English literature.
The novel popularized the genre known as the “Robinsonade”—stories about individuals stranded in remote places.
Robinson Crusoe has been translated into more languages than any other novel except for Don Quixote.
About the Author
Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) was an influential English novelist, journalist, and pamphleteer. He is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is considered one of the first English novels and has been translated into numerous languages. He also authored important early novels like Moll Flanders and Roxana, which helped establish conventions of the English novel and featured complex female protagonists.
Born in London, Defoe came from a family of Presbyterian dissenters and received his education at a dissenting academy. Beginning his career as a merchant and trader, he later worked as a spy and political operative, eventually focusing on writing full-time in his 40s. His early work was mainly political in nature, including pamphlets and poems criticizing the government and established church. His writings sometimes landed him in legal trouble, resulting in time spent in prison and in the pillory.
A prolific journalist, Defoe founded a periodical, The Review, and wrote influential nonfiction works like A Journal of the Plague Year and A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain. Defoe left behind an impressive body of work, spanning a range of topics including politics, economics, religion, crime, and the supernatural, and left behind a literary legacy that includes pioneering the genre of realistic fiction.
