Robinson Crusoe - Defoe, Daniel

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Résumé :
Continuously in print for over 300 years, Robinson Crusoe is often credited with beginning the genre of realistic fiction. Chapter breaks have been inserted inconsistently in various editions over the years. This printing has breaks following the Ambleside Online reading schedule, and features the unabridged text with 55 in-line and 23 full-page images....

Biographie:
Daniel Foe was born in London c. 1660, the son of James, a prosperous chandler and Presbyterian dissenter. He lived through the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666, which left only his and two other houses standing in the area. As a general merchant, he was able to buy a country estate and a ship, though he was nearly always in debt. He joined the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, but was pardoned. However, he spent a spell in debtor's prison, after which he travelled Europe and Scotland, returning in 1695, when, now surnamed Defoe, he began serving as a Commissioner of the Glass Duty and, in 1696, running a brick and tile factory. He became a prolific pamphleteer, which led him to the pillory and Newgate Prison. In exchange for his liberty, he agreed to work as an intelligence agent for the Tories, then as a propagandist for the Whigs, and then as a mouthpiece for the Anglo-Scottish Union. His novels and non-fiction books occupied him from the mid 1710s until his death in 1731....

Sommaire:
Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) was an English writer, journalist, and businessman who is best known for his novels, particularly Robinson Crusoe, which is widely considered to be one of the first novels in the English language. Defoe was born in London to a wealthy Presbyterian family and was educated at a dissenting academy. Defoe initially worked in the hosiery trade but later turned to writing, publishing a variety of political and social commentary in newspapers and pamphlets. He was a prolific writer, producing over 500 works during his lifetime, including novels, poetry, and essays. Defoe's most famous novel, Robinson Crusoe, was published in 1719 and tells the story of a man who is shipwrecked on a deserted island and must survive on his own. The novel was a huge success and has been translated into numerous languages. In addition to his literary pursuits, Defoe was involved in politics and served as a spy and propagandist for the British government. He was imprisoned several times for his controversial writings, including his support for religious toleration and his criticisms of the government. Defoe died in 1731 and is remembered as one of the most important figures in English literature, as well as a pioneering journalist and political commentator....