Roxana

Daniel Defoe

Roxana - a novel by Daniel Defoe, an English trader, writer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations.   Roxana is an example of the remarkable way in which Defoe seems to inhabit his fictional characters (yet "drawn from life"), despite the fact that they are women. Roxana, which narrates the moral and spiritual decline of a high society courtesan, differs from other Defoe works because the main character does not exhibit a conversion experience, even though she claims to be a penitent later in her life, at the time that she is relaying her story.  

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

Daniel Defoe

Written in a time when criminal biographies enjoyed great success, Daniel Defoes The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (aka Moll Flanders) details the life of the irresistible Moll and her struggles through poverty and sin in search of property and power. Born in Newgate prison and abandoned six months later, Moll Flanders drive to find and hold on to a secure place in society propels her through incest, adultery, bigamy, prostitution and a resourceful career as a thief before her crimes catch up with her, and she is transported to the colony of Virginia in the New World. The bawdy story of Moll Flanders vividly illustrates Defoes themes of social mobility and predestination, sin, redemption, reward and womans struggle for independence.

The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe - a novel by Daniel Defoe, an English trader, writer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations.   The book starts with the statement about Crusoe's marriage in England. He bought a little farm in Bedford and had three children: two sons and one daughter. Our hero suffered a distemper and a desire to see "his island." He could talk of nothing else, and one can imagine that no one took his stories seriously, except his wife. She told him, in tears, "I will go with you, but I won't leave you." But in the middle of this felicity, Providence unhinged him at once, with the loss of his wife.  

The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Having returned safely home, Robinson Crusoe marries and starts a family. Peace is not for Robinson, he hardly hangs out in England for several years: thoughts about the island are haunted him day and night. He even buys a farm, intends to engage in rural labor, to which he is so accustomed. After the death of his wife, nothing else keeps him in England, Robinson is overcome by the old wanderlust, and sets out with his faithful companion Friday to see his island once again. Thus begins a journey which will last ten years and nine months, in which Crusoe travels over the world, along the way facing dangers and discoveries in Madagascar, China, and Siberia. As he continues to journey, it becomes clear that he is happiest when wandering, and we begin to wonder if he will ever return home again.

The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton

Daniel Defoe

With a page-length title promising thrilling adventures in exotic locations, Captain Singleton is often viewed as an attempt by Defoe to capitalize upon the success achieved by Robinson Crusoe, which had been published a year earlier and had already merited a sequel. Defoe here offers a searching exploration of society from the point of view of its outcasts. The narrative describes the life of an Englishman, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies who eventually makes his way to sea. The novel comprises two distinct halves. The first one is set in an east-west journey across central Africa, with a lot of not surprisingly dubious details of the wildlife, natives and scenery encountered. The second half involves piracies in diverse locations around the globe, including Brazil, the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific. Originally was published in 1720, The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton is an absorbing and delightful tale.

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoe

Written in the form of an autobiography, it describes the life of the eponymous narrator Robinson Crusoe. After surviving a terrible shipwreck, Crusoe discovers he is the only human on an island far from any shipping routes or rescue. At first he is devastated, but slowly, with patience and imagination, he transforms his island into a tropical paradise. For twenty-four years he lives with no human companionship until one fateful day, when he discovers he is not alone... The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is of the most popular books ever written in the English language, published in innumerable editions and translated into almost every language of the world. Based on the real-life experiences of the castaway Alexander Selkirk, the book has had a perennial appeal among readers of all ages especially the young adult reading public who continue to find inspiration in the inventive resourcefulness of its hero.

Vie et aventures de Robinson Crusoé

Daniel Defoe

Cest lun des livres les plus célebres de Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoé est un personnage littéraire classique. Le protagoniste passe vingt-huit ans sur une île déserte tropicale isolée pres de Trinidad, ou il rencontre des cannibales, des captifs et des rebelles. La principale question de lhistoire si Robinson Crusoé peut sortir de lîle?