Romanticism In Robinson Crusoe

Romantic Features in Robinson Crusoe

FOCUS ON NATURE AND SUBLIME The book of The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe is usually viewed as contained of modern values, compared to the chivalric values in previous age. The change of language, style, characterization, and the essence or idea interests people of the age to this newness. And the book becomes regarded as the 'novel ' because of its innovation. Anyway, the novel is noticeably worth to study not only from the aspect of its newness, maybe it leaves more the word 'novel ' but also the effects on the later age, in Romantic literature. Many Romantic tropes seem to be founded beforehand in The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of

There are many similarities between the book of Robinson Crusoe and Romantic works. Firstly, Defoe employs the language of common man to write the novel; and certainly, the easier and accessible language leads this book to be popular to the majority of people which mostly are middle class. Except from the use of common language, Defoe also employs the common man as a protagonist. In the previous age such as Elizabethan age or the middle age, main characters usually are monarchs, knights, or aristocrats. But one of the obvious characteristics of the romantic age is that the rebel character, common man, and an outcast are glorified. Robinson Crusoe is a common man who disobeys his father and escapes from the house to go on business. The key point is that Defoe portrays his, somewhat humanist, beliefs in human potentialities and powers through this ordinary character; it implies that every man can be success like Crusoe, although they have to get through some sufferings, if they do their best in living. Crusoe uses his ability, plus Puritan work ethics, to trade and do agriculture. He is a successful merchant. Additionally, on the isolated island, he industriously grows crops and develops the land until he can live his life out of them. He starts from almost naught (as he still has some property from the ship) to the level that he needs not to concern much about his lonely