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One of the most important relationships that exist in Daniel Defoe’s “ Robinson Crusoe” is that between Crusoe and Friday. This relation was the best reflection of the bourgeois relations. The man, named Friday because of the day he was saved, gave thanks to Robinson for saving his life by showing a position of subservience to him. In the novel, the theme of master servant relationship is clear. After being the master of the whole island, nature and animals, Robinson Crusoe was successful to be a master over human beings too. Since the first day in which he saw Friday, he decided to make him his slave in order to Giúp him with cultivation and other work he achieved on the island as he already felt that he was like a king or a empror.
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Tóm tắt nội dung tài liệu:
oi open universityFaculty of English and Modern Languages
«
Assignment on
English and AmericanLiterature
Title: “Robinson Crusoe – A Representative of the English Bourgeoisie in the early 18th century”
Hanoi, 2009
PART A: INTRODUCTION
The 18th century saw Great Britain rapidly growing into a capitalist country. While in France the bourgeoisie was just beginning its struggle against feudalism, the English bourgeoisie had already become one of the ruling classes. In reality, the phenomena” land hedging and soil plundering” occurred. Farmers were driven out of their own lands and fields were turned into pastures for sheep-raising and wood-making industries. They had to join the force of cheap labor and working in such factories. England became a typical example of initial accumulation of capitalism. Holding power in economics, the English bourgeoisie further encroached on the politic field. They became the driving force in the English society. After actually overthrowing the feudalism and establishing the Institutional Monarch system, they led the country to the capitalist path and at that time, compromised with the feudal class.
Together with the dragging state in terms of politics, economic growth took tremendously prospective changes on the capitalist way of developement. It can be said that the 18th century in England was an age of intensively industrial development. The industrial revolution began: new machinery was invented that turned Britain into the first capitalist power of the world. The capitalist path paved the way for heavier exploitation relations. The rocketing growth of industries required the need to trade with foreign countries and to search for new sources of raw material, labour and market. Thus, mostly under the pressure of the bourgeoisie, England waged many wars for colonial expansions. By the middle of the 18th century, England gained many colonies. It was a common saying that ” The sun never sets in the Great Britain”.
The 18th century is known in the history of European culture as the period of Enlightenment. In England the period of Enlightenment followed the bourgeois revolution.” Enlightenment” indicates the historical role of the bourgeoisie in the age of the Bourgeois Revolution in comparison with the corrupt feudalism by recalling the contrast between dark and light. It also implies the progress of the Ideological movement and of literature in the 18th century. The Enlightenment was a powerful intellectual movement to the Enlighteners. The central problem of the Enlightenment ideology was that of man and his nature. The Enlighteners thought it was their duty to enlighten people and insisted on a systematic education for all. However, the English Enlighteners had little revolutionary aims in their views and actions.
The Enlightenment epoch in English literature may be divided into three periods: Early Enlightenment, Mature Enlightenment, and Late Enlightenment . However, in the study, the English literature in the early 18th century or in the early Enlightenment will mostly be concentrated. This period saw the flourishing of journalism. Numerous journals and newspapers not only acquainted their readers with the situation at home and abroad, but also helped to shape the views of people. Most popular were the satirical moralizing journals. The Tatler , The Spectator, The Englishman edited by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. In their essays, these two writers touched on various problems of political, social and family life. The essays paved the way for the realistic novels brought into English literature by Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift.
Furthermore, at that time, there appeared numerous works about voyages and all kind of adventures that became popular. People who liked to reach and explore remote land like Robinson Crusoe in the same-named novel by Daniel Defoe became typical form of people at that time.
Daniel Defoe was born in London in 1660. His father , whose name was Foe, wanted him to become a priest, but he decided to engage in bussiness.His father was wealthy enough to give Defoe a good education and future. It was Defoe’s cherished desire to become a rich merchant , but his bussiness was not unsuccessful and he went bankrupt more than once. As a result, he was always in debt. The only branch of business that he proved quite successfully is literature. His first literary works were satirical poems dealing with the urgent problems of the time. Daniel Defoe is also rightly considered the father of the English and the European novel. His first and most popular novel “ The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” or “ Robinson Crusoe” in short was written in 1719 when Defoe was about 60. It was followed by Captain Singleton, Moll Flanders, Roxana and some other novels of adventure.
Defoe’s strength as novelist lies in his realism. Every novel written by him could make readers feel the air of verisimilitude. In fact, he was so successful in writing ” Robinson Crusoe”. Through this realistic novel, the characteristics and features of the English bourgeoisie in the early 18th century were best reflected. Robinson Crusoe, the hero of the novel, became the typical representative of the English bourgeoisie at the time.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
The English bourgeoisie in the 18th century, especially in the earlier decades of the century had some typical features. At that time, England was experiencing the atmosphere of the Enlightenment. Men of the epoch were men of reason, discovery and have independent attitudes toward nature. The bourgeois citizens were considered new form of people of the time. Obviously, the bourgeoisie was the driving force of the English society at that time. They thought they had rights to be proud of their status in society and in the superiority of their race. They wanted other countries to give way to English men. Therefore, they implemented many brutal and unjust wars. In fact, the English colonization and slave trades rose rapidly in the 18th century.
The rapid industrial development of Britain in the 18th century went hand in hand with the process colonization of other countries and with an intensive growth of colonial trade. British merchant ships could be seen in different parts of the worlds. The British bourgeoisie was always sensible to make and accumulate money as well as property. This would somehow lead them to have quite poor spiritual lives because they were only concerned making money.
However, the English bourgeoisie in the early 18th century had such good qualities as optimism, industriousness, human strength, courage, and so on. In conclusion, the English bourgeoisie in the 18th century was profoundly influenced by the socio-political background of the time.This class was indeed a complicated entity characterized by progressive and regressive features mixing and confining to one another as well.
These features were vividly reflected in “ Robinson Crusoe”written by Daniel Defoe. In this novel, Robinson Cruso became a typical character of the English bourgeoisie in the early 18th century.
Firstly, Robinson Crusoe was a typical figure of adventurous and enterprising nature. In fact, he wanted to discover everything, especially his longing to the sea. It is understandable because at that time, going to the sea was considered the only way to discover and visit new land as well as the world outside. Therfore, his dream of going to the sea coincided with his dream of discovery and adventure. Robinson liked traveling so much with no regard to possible dangers and challenges he might cope with. Right at the begining of the novel, some of his confessions can be seen: “ my head began to be filled very early with rambling thought” (1- p.1). He once said to his mother: “ my thoughts were so entirely bent on up seeing the world” (1- p.6). He dared to abondon everything to pursue his longing to discoveries and adventure. He also ventured to enter a new stage of his life.
Robinson Crusoe did not only travel as in case of a normal tourist or an enthusiastic adventurer with his scientific discovery. His later voyages were especially attached with the comercial calculation on the trade ships. Robinson got acquainted with this business quickly. He once confessed that he truly became a trader.
He wanted to challenge himself with his own decision. He even stated: “ But I that was born be my own destroyer could no more resist the offer than I could restrain my first rambling design, etc. In a word, I would go with all my heart”.(1- p.32).
For the first time, Robinson boarded on a trade ship and later he was so cheerful to see the shared profits. He said: “I took delight to learn, this voyage made me both a sailor and amerchant; for I brought home 5 pounds, 9 ounces of g...