Robinson Crusoe is the unreliable narrator of this travelogue from Restauration and Enlightenment referred to as the first English novel. The protagonist decides to go to sea against his father’s will and becoming quite a successful merchant in the colonies abroad. One day, he is shipwrecked and finds himself on a lonely island where he needs to learn to survive on his own. After some years, he encounters a group of cannibals who he knows must also live in the area and protects a young man, which he later class ‘Friday’ from the ‘savages’ (as he calls them). Together they face and master challenges while waiting to be rescued from the island…

Due to its language and attitudes, the novel is perceived as racist, imperialist and discriminatory. Therefore, teachers should handle this controversial novel carefully. However, the text remains an authentic historical testimony, which might be a useful resource, when exploring, contextualising and problematising the ideas of colonialism, imperialism and the matter of slavery. It is also worth mentioning that the text, which is in the public domain, inspired a whole new literary genre: the Robinsonade.

Novel · United Kingdom · 1719