Category: Humanities>> Foreign Literature
Analysis:
Daniel Defoe (1660-April 24, 1731) United Kingdom Novelist, journalist, pamphleteer. His works are mainly about individuals overcoming difficulties through hard work and relying on their own wisdom and bravery. The plot has twists and turns, uses a self-narrative method, and is highly readable. It also reflects the social atmosphere of pursuing adventure and advocating personal struggle at that time. His masterpiece "Robinson Crusoe" is world-famous. Robinson has also become a typical example of fighting against difficulties, so he is regarded as one of the founders of British novels.
Life
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< p> Defoe was born in London, England, and his surname was Foe. Defoe later added the prefix "de" to his surname, which sounded like an aristocrat, to form the pseudonym Defoe. Defoe's father, James Foe, was engaged in the butchering industry. Both parents were Presbyterians and did not believe in the Anglican Church. Defoe himself also received secondary education in a Presbyterian school, but did not go to college. Defoe once entered into business, but failed and even went bankrupt in 1692. Later, in order to make a living, he worked in various jobs, such as an intelligence officer for the Communist Party, and at the same time engaged in writing. In 1696 he became manager of a London brick factory.Defoe did not believe in the Anglican Church, which led him to politically support the Protestant William III. In 1702, Defoe published a pamphlet "The Shortcut to the Extermination of Different Sects", using irony to lash out at the Tory authorities for persecuting different sects, and was arrested. After a trial, Defoe was sentenced to six months in prison and to the pillory for three days from July 31, 1703. Defoe wrote the poem "Ode to the Shackles" while in prison. This made the people treat him as a hero during his assassination, throwing flowers instead of stones at him, and toasting to his health. Whig leader Robert Haley admired Defoe's talent very much, and with his intervention, Defoe was released. Harry hoped that Defoe would publish a magazine to gain public support for his policy of uniting Scotland and England. Defoe, with Harry's support, founded the French Review in 1704. When Harry lost power in 1708, Defoe continued to support his successor Godolphin until the journal was discontinued in 1713.
In 1719, Defoe completed his most famous work "Robinson Crusoe" based on part of the experience of the sailor Alexander Selkirk and his own ideas. The Chinese translation is "Robinson Crusoe". The novel tells the story of a sailor who escaped from a shipwreck and used his wisdom and courage to overcome the dangerous natural environment on a desert island, and was finally rescued and returned to England. The novel was so popular that four editions were published within a year. It is still read by people around the world. Defoe's other major novels include "Captain Singleton" completed in 1720 and "Moore Flanders" in 1722. Defoe also wrote a large number of pamphlets and news reports. When a plague occurred in Marseille, France in 1722, Defoe published "Chronicles of the Plague Years", which focused on the Great Plague in London in 1665. It catered to the concerns of the citizens at that time and was quite popular.
Main Works
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"Robinson Crusoe"
"Captain Singleton"
"Moore Flanders"
"The Year of the Plague" Diary》