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First published in 1979, this title presents the basic facts and the background information needed by a modern reader of Robinson Crusoe, as well as a careful exploration of the structure and style of the work itself. Pat Rogers pays particular attention to the book’s composition and publishing history, the critical history surrounding it from 1719 onwards, and the contemporary context of geographical discovery, colonialism and piracy, as well as more controversial areas of interpretation. A wide-ranging and practical reissue, this study will be of value to literature students with a particular interest in the critical interpretation of Robinson Crusoe, as well as the novel’s place in the context of Defoe’s career.
Preface; General Editor’s Preface; Acknowledgements; A Note on the Texts; Abbreviations; Map Illustrating Crusoe’s Travels’ 1. Preliminary 2. Travel, Trade and Empire 3. Religion and Allegory 4. Social and Philosophic Themes 5. Literary Background 6. Structure and Style 7. Critical History; Appendix A: Woodes Rogers’s Narrative of Selkirk; Appendix B: Richard Steele’s Narrative of Selkirk; Appendix C: The Illustrators of Robinson Crusoe; Appendix D: Table of Dates; Appendix E: Gazetteer; Appendix F: Biographical Index; Bibliography; General Index