Robinson Crusoe

While it has been a while since since I read Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, but it is directly connected to a book I am currently in the middle of so I thought I would start here.

After nearly 300 years (it was first published in 1719) it has worked its way into our collective, cultural conscience. Even people who haven't read the book know that it is about a person shipwrecked on an island. And that is not in just English, but throughout the world in most languages. That is incredible.

Some consider it one of the first, if not the first, "novels" written in English. Not everyone knows it was more than likely inspired by Alexander Selkirk, a real person who survived years on an island in the Pacific off the coast of Chile. In fact, in 1966 the island's name was changed to "Robinson Crusoe Island."

Robinson Crusoe was more accessible than I thought it would be. It has strong religious overtones that are common for the period. I was surprised at the amount of the story that deals with his re-assimilation to civilized society. I guess that never really comes up in spoofs and miscellaneous references - the focus is on the survival aspect.

I didn't realize that Defoe ended up writing two sequels, The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Serious Reflections of Robinson Crusoe (1720). I guess even in 1719 the public clamored for, and publishers encouraged sequels that may make money immediately, but they are eventually forgotten. And while I had heard of Moll Flanders and Rob Roy, I didn't realize that Defoe wrote them as well, among many other novels and other books.

I haven't been exposed to many illustrated versions, but you can't go wrong with N.C. Wyeth. I am not sure if this edition is still in print, but you might be able to get a used copy through Amazon. You can also see an entire book with Wyeth's illustrations online.

The story deals with many themes and elements, but the two that stand out in my memory are the survival issue and what is civilization.

A few random stories and characters come readily to mind in relation to Robinson Crusoe as a survival story. First is the book The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss, published in German in 1812. I also remember that the Green Arrow character in the DC Comics universe fine tuned his archery skills and developed his heroic life view (as opposed the millionaire-playboy lifestyle he previously had) while stranded on an island. He first appeared in print in 1941. The movie Castaway (2000) presented a modern version of this basic story idea. Tom Hanks was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role his character in this movie

The Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding, and subsequent movies, also comes to mind as a book that deals with individuals being lost on a deserted island and what it means to be civilized is. The first season of J.J. Abram's TV series Lost (2004 +) on ABC involved some of these same concepts, although not to the same extent and with other story elements and themes interwoven into the narrative. In Gulliver's Travels (1726), by Jonathan Swift, Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked or lost in different lands, giving him the opportunity to learn about different cultures and reflect on his own culture's state and definition of civilization.

Regardless of your thoughts on the origins or veracity of The Book of Mormon, it does present some interesting stories and ideas regarding what can happen to people that have left their own country and culture and they are left on their own. It is also available to read online.

Still following the themes of isolation and what it means to be civilized, you may also want to read at least the original Tarzan book, Tarzan of the Apes (1914) by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the Mowgli stories in the Jungle Book books, The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895) by Rudyard Kipling.

While I personally don't remember seeing any movies or television shows based on the novel, there have been several made which are listed on IMDB. It is interesting to note that Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Pierce Brosnan, Michael York and Aidan Quinn have all played Robinson Crusoe. The first movie listed on IMDB was made in 1913. There has been a science fiction version - Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), as well a Disney spoof - Lt. Robinson Crusoe, U.S.N (1966) starring Dick Van Dyke.

One of the nice things with Robinson Crusoe is that it is public domain now. If you want a free eBook version, you can see a list of eBooks by Daniel Defoe available through Project Gutenburg.

I am sure you can find several versions at your local library. If you live in or near Davis County in Utah the Davis County Library collection not only includes abridged, unabridged, illustrated and audio versions, it also includes a children's video from the PBS Wishbone series and a book about Alexander Selkirk.

I look forward to learning what other books, characters and movies others would include in this list - and why.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Wikipedia - Robinson Crusoe , Daniel Defoe, Alexander Selkirk, Green Arrow, Lost TV Series, Tarzan, The Jungle Book, The Book of Mormon, The Lord of the Flies, Gulliver's Travels
Amazon - Lost episodes on DVD