Part 1
On its original publication in 1719, Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, did NOT have chapter divisions–it was just one long story. Later editors added chapters. It does make it easier for us to excerpt, but please note that there are no chapters in the original text.
Please read the overarching summary from Wikipedia (Links to an external site.) so you know the basic plot of the whole book. Then, read “chapters” 11, 14, and 15, which I’ve copied below (and included audiobooks for) Hypothesis. Add at least 10 comments on the reading, each of 1-2 sentences in length (you can respond to other comments, as well!). Your comments should be across the entirety of the text (don’t put all your comments in the same place–spread them out!). Select the passage that is of interest to you (see the list below for possible topics), and in the comment, explain what you think is important. Your comments should show you grappling with the text, trying to understand it on a deeper level, whether in terms of the picture of human nature being represented, stylistically and so on.
- passages that seem especially important to you for thematic purposes,
- passages that resonate with what we’ve already read in The Tempest,
- passages where you read about language and language as power,
- passages where you see “Englishness” being displayed
- passages where you have questions — this needs to be a significant question, not like “What does this word mean?” when you can easily look it up! If you do look it up, and it’s interesting, then write about that!
Part 2
Listen to The Forum podcast, Robinson Crusoe: The Man and His Island (Links to an external site.), and read this newspaper essay from (Links to an external site.)The Guardian (Links to an external site.). Then, respond to the prompt below:
In this podcast, the scholars discussing Robinson Crusoe suggest that this 300-year-old novel, one of the first (if not the first) novels ever written, “reveals a more complex tale of sin and redemption, debating fundamental questions about man’s place in the world against a backdrop of colonial expansion, transatlantic commerce, and the slave trade.” The article from The Guardian newspaper argues that Crusoe should not be seen as a role model anymore.
Regardless of whether we see Crusoe as a role model of individualism, do you think this novel can still resonate with our world (or some parts of it!) today? If so, how? If not, why not? Your post should be specific/detailed, and it should draw on at least one point from each resource (podcast and essay). It should be at least 400 words.
If you need a similar but plagiarism-free “british class assignment #2”, then feel free to contact us!