Today’s Agenda
Presentations:
A Porter: King Henry
B Kennedy: Dante’s Inferno
For today, we were to read the next 50 pages of Robinson Crusoe.
Group Work:
What has stayed with you from the reading?
Discussion
Mini-lecture:
Last time, I talked about how little God appeared to factor into Crusoe’s early life. We could have equally have noted the total absence of any Greek or Roman references, which could be found in the writing of everyone we have read to at this point.
Why is this the case? Well, I think it’s important to think about the kind of human being Crusoe is supposed to be. When Chaucer’s middle-class characters open their mouths, what pours out is information and tales that would be generally understood and appreciated by educated classes of people. However, when Crusoe opens in his mouth, what pours out is something quite different.
I will argue today that, when Crusoe talks, he talks about trade-oriented experiences, which may or may not (probably not) have been understood or appreciated by the kinds of audiences that Chaucer and Milton were reaching for.
You may have noticed that the reading for today focused on two basic topics: 1) The religious awakening of Crusoe, and 2) his physical labors. As to the first, we might notice how different his understanding of religion is from anything we have considered before. His articulation of God and reflection on God is totally understood through the context of his own experience. Indeed, he only sees and considers God as God supposedly acts through his life – as if God had a direct hand and interest in the minutia of his existence (his finding of tools and nails, for example.)
Many people who profess to be religious in a Western Christian context today share a similar view. Think of the football player or baseball player, of American Idol singer, who thanks Jesus and God for “helping them win.” This presumes, first and foremost, that God cares or that what is significant in your own life is also significant in His. This is not a wheel of fortune understanding of the divine. It is much more closer to the “Buddy Jesus” character than you may think.
This understanding of God is nowhere to be found in our earlier writing. Think of Dante. God does not take a direct hand in his salvation. Indeed, it is an angel, Beatrice, who intercedes through Virgil to save Dante. Columbus seeks to Bring Christianity to the “savages” because they have been overlooked by God, supposedly. Arcite and Palamon need to pray to the Gods to get what they want, the gods do not set them up to simply “have it.” The Wife of bath – well, that one is easy enough.
So Crusoe offers us a startling new view of God.
He also offers us a very weird idea of what it is we should do with our time.
Crusoe, left to his own devices, appears to have no idea how to spend his time, other than by spending it to construct the same basic goods that were fueling the British Empire’s marketplace around the world: tables, chairs, baskets. Mad proto-capitalist. He makes far more than he needs, and works, we are told, ceaselessly.
When the possibility of escape opens, he shuts it down right away — imagining that the far shore is teeming with cannibals.
What’s most striking here is what he isn’t talking about. While he does reflect on religion, there is nothing here that one could take as direct evidence of how one might best live their life. Unlike the stories of Chaucer, that use the experience of individuals to suggest life lessons, Crusoe’s life appears to have no lesson, other than the lessons that are particular to the unique experience of his life. This is a speaker who tells us things in order to define his own world, and not so that we might better understand our own.
In short, it is an IMPERIAL voice, once which reflects only on itself, and the importance of its own agendas.
Homework for Wednesday:
Read the next 50, and write a 1.5 page blog post on your general assessment of how this story compares with the other stories we have read so far this semester.
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Jason Stewart
Adam Crowley, Eh 241
10 February 2009
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is more of an “exciting” tale when compared to the other stories that we have read so far this semester. I would also go so far as to say that this is a far more detailed story than say the first Canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy. There are also many comparisons to what we have read so far as well, like the setting being quite similar to that of Columbus’ story and many religious references like John Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Starting with the comparisons to the other stories we have read I will begin with the setting. In the diary of Christopher Columbus the reader was brought into a tropical island setting (the island of Cuba mainly), which is the same geographic locale that Crusoe finds himself trapped. Crusoe describes his prison as a paradise, his “happy desart” (Defoe 101), and even when he tries to leave this island he becomes quite sad, wishing he were back there. Also in this story we find religious references, mainly Crusoe’s views on his own beliefs, which are similar to not only Paradise Lost, but also even more to the first Canto of the Divine Comedy by Dante. In Dante’s Inferno, the main character expounds upon his own beliefs, stating he is “lost from the straight path”, which is like Crusoe stating he gains great happiness from certain passages from the bible. Though both men’s tales are not completely similar, they are both greatly influenced by their faith (or lack there of) in God.
Though there are similarities, one of the largest differences that defines this story is that it is in novel form, not put in some sort of pentameter or other poetic form. There are no constantly rhyming lines like in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Every other story we have read thus far this semester has been in a poetic for, but Defoe broke away from that pattern and pioneered the novel. Another difference is Crusoe himself. Robinson Crusoe is a self-sufficient character through and through. He does not rely on another character to get him through, like Dante requiring Virgil to guide him through Hell or like Arcite needing the beauty of Emily to drive him to fight for her love. Crusoe’s only driving force is his survival, or perhaps his own distraction from his “desolate prison”. Though he does have a spiritual awakening half way through the novel, it is not God that drives him to survive, but his want to survive that drive him.
The differences or similarities between Robinson Crusoe and the rest of the stories (or poems) that we have read does not make it a story that can not be enjoyed, but rather sets it apart as its own part of literary history being on of the first novels to be written.
William Dow II
2/10/2009
Eh241.001
Crusoe in Comparison
The Story of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is a much different on then the other stories we have read. To begin with, this seems like less of a form for personal opinions of the author and more of action story. The story does have an idea or opinion behind it but it is masked by the action and narrative that drives the story so the personal messages and meanings are less obvious, compared to something like Dante’s The Inferno. Where in The Inferno, Dante presents everything rather up front to the reader and the read has to decipher the meaning rather than search for a hidden meaning. Robinson Crusoe is more in the way of Columbus’s journals where everything is told but if you, but you have to look deeper then the surface to learn a deeper meaning.
Robinson Crusoe does seem to differ in the use of religion. Which is what we discussed in class on Monday, Robinson Crusoe has a different way of using religion in the context of the story. Where religion is the focus or main idea, the stories we read before example is Columbus discussed how he was bringing his religion to the native people, Robinson Crusoe seems to use religion as afterthought, something slightly separate from the story. Not that it is tact on but it is not the focus but something the main character observes it adds to the story giving the read a better understanding of the character. This also was present in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales more specific The Knights Tale. In The Knights Tale, in the story the knights pray to the Greek gods for guidance and to fulfill their whims. The story uses the prayer to the gods as a characteristic of the two knights, just like in Robinson Crusoe the main character prays to god but god is not the focus just a characteristic to Robinson Crusoe.
In class, we discussed that the Greek gods did not appear in Robinson Crusoe but I found a passage in Robinson Crusoe that brought to mind the characteristics of Ares or Mars seeing that they are the same person in their respective mythology. The passage is during the dream that he has when he is ill, “I saw a man descend from a great black cloud, in a bright flame, so I could but just bear to look towards him …. He moved forward towards me, with a long spear or weapon in his hand, to kill me” (Defoe 75). It could have just been God since there is a passage where he spoke to Moses through a burning bush. However, me it sounded like a description of the god of war in Greek and Roman mythology, he is on fire and carrying a spear I mean I have only seen images of Mars in pop culture but the description sounds like the depictions I have seen.
Adam Crowley
EH 241
11 February 2009
How “Robinson Crusoe” Compares to the Other Class Readings
“Robins Crusoe” is different from all the other texts because it offers a more adventurous look into beliefs and practices of Defoe’s times. While writers like Columbus and Chaucer may definitely be interesting because of the adventure and new things they seem to bring to light, this seems to be the first tale about a character’s account. While it may be fictitious, it can still be a true story and that is what makes it exciting. This piece offers the reader a new world and yet the same world to read about. The text brings us to providence and hell at the same time. It offers us the ability to observe the thought processes of the peoples who lived in that time period. I enjoy this story very much, because I tend to enjoy adventurous tales with mystery and beauty. I especially love tales that are descriptive and yet meaningful. Daniel Defoe certainly offers that. However, sometimes he is too descriptive. Yet, if one reads into the story, one can begin to notice a pattern of messages which Defoe is certainly trying to send his readers. One specifically has to do with monetary need. In his story, Defoe writes about his character finding large amounts of treasure and yet finds no need for it, mentioning he would rather trade all the gold in the world for clothing. He mentions this at separate accounts, showing some belief that money was not everything, which is one of the first times I hear someone give that account in historical text (besides the bible). In contrast to the other works we have read earlier for class, I also find this story gives more reason to certain decisions made. Many people find Columbus’ actions inhumane and unjust, mostly because we were not really made aware of why he did certain things, like capture innocent natives. In Robinson Crusoe, however, Defoe gives us a journalistic account of Crusoe’s adventure (much like Columbus) and also narrates a story (like Chaucer). With this, we see an accurate account of the events that took place and can also observe Crusoe’s thinking patterns. This makes it not only more realistic, but also more interesting. I love to read stories that do not necessarily hold any real history behind them besides the history which can be seen in lifestyle. I one day dream of owning my own island where my family can reside. That would truly be paradise. I , however, do not dream of being separated from all contact with the outside world, but something about living on my own plot of land, reaping only what I sow and being the true beneficiary of my own labor sounds to me like something everyone should want. If I could live like Robinson Crusoe, except with human interaction, I would be in heaven, which I think is something Defoe is trying to say. In other words, Robinson Crusoe thinks he is being punished for living comfortably, but I believe Defoe is saying Crusoe was graced by God for being independent and honest by working for what he wanted, therefore gave him his own kingdom in paradise.
Kristen Porter
Feb 11th 2009
EH 241
Major British Writers
Daniel Defoe’s story of the fictitious tale of Robinson Cursoe is different from previous texts we read and analyzed. This semester we have been to the very beginning of literature starting with personal diaries, from there we took in the works of Dante and Chaucer, we figured out the evils of paradise lost. Not only is this the first actual novel we have touched base with but this is also the first encounter with the realm of a artificial person in a piece of literature.
Clearly this book contrasts with the other works in the class, but at the same time I find it completely comparable to other reading that was presented through the beginning of the semester. Robinson Crusoe sets foot in a “new world” as did Columbus. He describes his surroundings with pure detail and passion. Crusoe takes into account all the “new” articles he is seeing in this land. Crusoe besides being in this new world, is also lost in a sense, although he doesn’t appear to be “lost” emotionally, he definitely begins to find himself as a person after his illness, this piece is similar to Dante’s Inferno passages. Although I can not compare Crusoe to the characters in the Canterbury tales, I can say that the first person narrative is something that Defoe has taken from Chaucer to create this person, and to create an insight on how the character is living his life, and depicted to the audience.
Having this knowledge about previous readings, I am able to make a connection with this book, to the other titles. I am able to piece by piece analyze what the similarities and differences may be. Clearly having a background with the early contributors of literature, makes this book more fascinating to me every page I turn. There are so many questions I have about this book that I don’t even think Crusoe could answer. Daniel Defoe was clearly brilliant, the references he uses in the writing and his knowledge of literature certainly does shine throughout the book.
Sarah Rackliffe
EH 241
Adam Crowley
February 11, 2009
Comparison of Stories
Robinson Crusoe is a huge change from all the other stories that we have been reading in class so far. Many things differ such as the time period, the location and social settings. Most of the stories that we have been reading all seemed to have a theme they followed, while Crusoe strays away from those. Robinson Crusoe does have one major thing in common with the stories that we have read so far and that is God. God has played a role in all of the stories that we have read.
One huge difference between Robinson Crusoe and all the other stories is the different time period. While stories such as a The Divine Comedy were written in the 1300s Crusoe was written in 1719. The differences in these stories are great form the language to the objects. The language in The Divine Comedy is different than the language in Crusoe. I personally felt that the language in Crusoe is much easier to understand then compared to Divine Comedy. The objects and advances, such as him having a gun, in Crusoe are also different then the books we have been reading due to the huge time gap.
The location in Crusoe is also a huge change then all the other books we have been reading. Many of our readings have put us in places such as the medieval times and even hell while Crusoe takes us to a beautiful tropical island. This location change is extremely different then all of the other readings. This change of location also makes the book more enjoyable, it takes you to a more positive place.
The social setting also is different than most of the stories we have read in this class. While all of the other stories had a set of characters, so far Crusoe really only has one major character.
On the other hand all of these stories have one thing in common; they all express a sense of religion. God always plays some sort of role in all of these stories not matter where they are, hell or a tropical island they all express some sort of feelings towards God, whether its is his role that he plays in the universe or spiritually finding him.
Stefanie Foutch
Eh 241
Major British Writers
02/11/09
Comparing Crusoe with Others
There were many differences between Robinson Crusoe and the other authors I have red so far. There were more differences than comparisons. However, I did find two major comparisons between Robinson Crusoe and the other readings; the English is different from the English we use now, and God is mentioned in every piece of writing.
One big difference between Crusoe and the other writings is, the story of Crusoe is a novel. An actual book. All of the other readings I have read were poetry, with the exception of Christopher Columbus’ diary. Crusoe was easier to understand, because of this. Since the story is a novel there of course, is more to read. However, it was easier to understand.
In every reading that I have read so far, the English was much different from the English we use today. For example, while reading Robinson Crusoe, I noticed that if a word ended with the letters e and d, the e would be replaced by an apostrophe. This I also found to be true while reading Book 1 of Paradise Lost. In addition, in the Canterbury Tales the English was very “old timely”, Just because I am not used to that type of English, I had a hard time reading some of the writings, and fully understand them. This was also true in Crusoe’s story. The English gave me a hard time.
The other comparison I can make is; God. God was mentioned or thought of in every single piece of writing. Dante spoke of religion, and so did Chaucer. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe is not a very religious man. God is mentioned a few times, here and there. Moreover, Crusoe is not a very firm believer. Until, one day Crusoe has an epiphany. After that, he starts to believe in God. He believes that God acts directly upon his life. Helping him in any which way he can. In every piece of writing, there is some religious influence.
All the stories were very different form one another. However, they did have a few things in common, such as; the English was “old timely” in every piece of writing, and religion and God were major influences on the author and his writing.
Timothy McGuire
Eh241 2/11/09
The Robinson Crusoe story is a very interesting tale so far and is set quite apart from everything that we have read. The only similar literature we have read so far is Christopher Columbus’s diary. Its form is much more similar in that it describes events and thoughts in a more standard way in comparison to modern literature. The other works such as Dante’s, Chaucer’s, and Milton’s were all written in one poetic form or another. The Crusoe story was also very much influenced by Christianity with Christianity taking a bigger and bigger role as the story progresses.
One of the main differences however is how the author and main character view Christianity. Crusoe views his faith from the protestant tradition and not from the catholic tradition as the other authors excluding Milton. As mentioned in class the main character Crusoe also views God as having a direct hand in his life and fate. Crusoe also uses his understanding of the bible to draw strength and strengthen his faith. Something made possible by the fact that the bible was now accessible in English.
Another difference is the lack of reliance on classical themes and ideas. The ideas and themes in this book are much more modern, such as the ability to understand God through life and reading the bible for yourself to draw your own meanings. There is also no reference to Roman Gods or poets for example.
Dafoe’s pioneering of the novel also made his work much more accessible to the masses. His style of writing is much easier to understand and lacks the many subtle religious and academic references which were common in the earlier readings. His intended audience is not the scholarly audiences of Dante or Chaucer but the more common or everyman. Crusoe himself the main character I am sure is by no accident a sort of everyman. He comes from a middle class family of no particular prestige or uniqueness. In fact the only thing extraordinary about Crusoe his unfortunate series of events that occur to him. Or maybe his uncanny ability to seemingly overcome virtually any obstacle put in his path. I think that Dafoe’s message here is that the common man is perhaps the best man among us and that he should not be underestimated. I also think that he is saying that we should look to God in times of trouble and listen to our consciences. In the last reading for instance Dafoe writes “I afterwards made it my rule with me, that whenever I found those secret hints or pressing of my mind… I never failed to obey this secret dictate.”
Benjamin McGray
EH 241
Adam Crowley
February 9, 2009
Pages 100 to 150 in Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” were not without some very exciting moments. There are three very important events that happen in the book that Defoe does well with conveying feelings of fear and intrigue. The first of these happenings was Crusoe’s expedition in his homemade canoe around the coast of the island. At first it goes well but eventually the currents sweep out into sea, at which time he feels that he is “lost”. I thought the text did an amazing job at expressing Crusoe’s despair while he thinks he will never see his island again. His yearning for the island is ironic in the way that he often describes it as keeping him captive, but it is also understandable given that he has been there so long and all of his comforts are there. It is as though Crusoe starts to consider it his home, which he himself admits. This is very interesting to me, and I found it incredibly sad when he was being carried out to sea.
Another moment was when he finds the footprint in the sand. In reference to Defoe, I felt that this point of the book was well written. As a reader I was able to feel the terror that Crusoe was feeling when he realizes he is not alone. It can be likened to being walked in on when you are singing in the shower or something like that. From that point on Crusoe, and myself as a reader, starts to get a little paranoid that whatever he is doing somebody may be watching at all times. It is a very scary, due to it’s relatability, moment in the book. It is also a point when the text stops being a list of things that the character has done, or will start doing, and becomes much more interesting.
The final moment that I am going to comment on is Crusoe’s interaction with the “savages”. I get the sense that being on the island for twenty and more years is starting to take it’s toll on the mind of the character, and it is a credit to Defoe for subtly making this apparent. When Crusoe discovers the gruesome ritual pit of the natives, and sees them land on shore, one of his first instincts is to set up a one man ambush and to kill them all in the name of God. However in the same thought session he comes to a very enlightened idea of the relativity of ethics. But after building more fortifications and becoming increasingly impatient with being on the island he once again plans an ambush to free on of the condemned savages who will then lead him to freedom on the mainland. Knowing Crusoe and all he has been able to do up to this point I should not have doubted this plan, because lo and behold he actually does it.. The abilities of Crusoe have not ceased to amaze me to this point of the story. The fact that he has, with no prior knowledge, learned to build fortifications, turn corn rice and barley into bread, tame goats and turn their milk into cheese and butter, make pottery, fabricate an oven, and now liberate a primitive native and begin to teach him English is truly astounding. So for now on I have no doubts that Crusoe will get himself off the island and eventually go on to save the world.
Journal Entry: Compare the other works we have read with Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe.
So far we have read a variety of other works by many different authors such as, Columbus, Dante, and Chaucer. Each of the selected readings from these authors are different but do have a reoccurring theme in each, the theme of man’s struggle with himself or God. This is the same for Robinson Crusoe who is stranded on a deserted island with only his wits and intelligence to survive.
What is different about Defoe’s tale is that Crusoe does not have anyone else to help him along or lead the way to safety. Lets start with Columbus, He had many other sailors and three ships to help him get around his “New World”, and had the means to dominate the natives. Columbus was in search of gold as we learn and he thinks that this new world will have “fields” of it just for the taking. Although Columbus was undertaking a huge feat, he was in no means stranded or in danger of being stranded alone like Crusoe.
Dante and Chaucer’s work are both about humans going through some kind of struggle whether it being navigating through Hell in Dante’s Inferno or going on a long pilgrimage like in the Canterbury Tales. Dante has Virgil to help him lead the way through hell and the pilgrims in Canterbury Tales have each other along the way to their destination. What is drastically different in Crusoe is that our character has no one to help him. He is all alone on the deserted island pitted against himself and the wilderness.
Meghann Peterson
February 11, 2009
Eh 241
Response to Defoe
There are a lot of ways in which Robinson Crusoe differs from the other literature we have read so far this semester. From the use of language, to the lack of religious context, to the treatment of the “savages” there is a clear change in what kind of literature was offered.
The first thing I noticed was the change in language from what we were seeing before. For one, this story was not written in verse like what we read in Paradise Lost and Canterbury Tales. It also uses a much more simple form of English. There are no drawn out metaphors about historical figures. Most of what Defoe talks about in Robinson Crusoe is written in a way that is still very decipherable by today’s readers. Even the religious references that are included in the book are of more well known Bible stories instead of stories that would only be known to the most devout. He refers to the story of the Prodigal Son and the story of Adam and Eve, but nothing obscure. This is partly because Crusoe’s character is unfamiliar with most of the Bible before he comes to the island. Even with these two Bible references there is still a general lack of religious connotation in this book when compared to our other readings, especially Paradise Lost.
Another change I noticed was the way that Crusoe treats his “savage” friend Friday. Crusoe does not treat Friday as an equal by any stretch but he does not treat him as much like a slave as he does with Xury. Comparing his treatment of Friday to the treatment of the natives by Columbus you can see a stark contrast. Columbus treats the natives as less than human, more like animals. He takes some off the island to take with him back to Europe and show them off. He does not recognize of describe their personalities at all. Crusoe does refer to Friday in the beginning as a “creature”, which is of course horrible, but he also talks about how he grows to love Friday. He is not so above he raised culture that he is able to recognize Friday as an equal human being but he does not treat him with abuse of distain. This is a nice change for what we saw before.
Kacey Beckwith
EH241 Major British Writers
February 11, 2009
Prefessor Adam Crowley
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is quite different from the readings that we have previously done in this class. One of the major points that I noticed was that the main character was written very differently. He was written in a way that made him appear to be just a regular person being placed in regular circumstances throughout his life. He is a character that I think most people can relate to in their own lives, which is a different concept from the characters that we have previously read. It is much easier to relate to Robincon Crusoe than to the knights in The Knights Tale or to the Wife of Bath’s Tale. These characters seem a lot harder to relate to because the circumstances which they are going through during the story don’t seem to be circumstances that we as readers today could be cast into. However, with Robinson Crusoe, it is a possibility that we could be put into that position ourselves. Although it may not seem all that likely, it is a possibility, and there are movies and other stories that have been written with the same type of topic in mind, as well. This makes it seem a much more relatable topic than most of the others that we have come into contact with.
I think another reason that makes this story different from others that we have previously encountered is that it’s such a fictitious story. Although it is relatable, the story itself is very much like a story. This is different from Dante because he wrote about something which, he did make into a story, but he used a topic which may have made his story much more believable as possible fact, or close to fact, than Defoe’s work. Allthough both are fictitious stories, Defoe makes his character up, rather than using himself, and he outs his character into a completely made up set of circumstances. Dante uses himself as his main character and he uses a topic that many people believe in, even still today. He, as the author, seemed to believe in what he was writing; it was his outlook and reasoning on the topic. Therefore, although it was a story, it doesn’t seem to be as completely fabricated as Robinson Crusoe was.
I personally find Defoe’s story to be hard to get through because it seems to be set at such a slow pace; he seems to inform the reader about every single thing that he thinks and does. However, I enjoy the idea of the fabricated story much better than the others that we have previously worked on. This idea of fiction seems to be more appealing.
This semester we have read many different lietary works such as The Inferno, Columbus, Chaucer, and Robinson Crusoe. Robinson Crusoe is what we are reading now. To me this is easier to understand what is happening and easier to relate to the events that are happening throughout the book. Whereas in Dante and Chaucer’s literary works, they are alike inthe sense that you need to pay closer attention to the details and what they are actually trying to say and the point that they are trying to get across. I think Columbus and Crusoe are more alike because they are both stories about discovering things that people had never seen before, they are both on a ship discovering things, and they both mention God several times throughout the story. Before reading Crusoe or Columbus, I was more familiar with the story of Columbus discovering the world than I was with Crusoe discovering various things. One thing that all of the stories have in common that we have read so far this semester, is they all involve God. Not all necessarily the Christian God, but different Gods. I found that Dante was the most difficult to read. After reading Dante, we read Chaucer which I found easier as we went. Already being familiar with the stories, I think that Columbus and Crusoe have been the easiest to relate to and be involved with this semester.