Daniel Defoe
'The most reliable and comprehensive account of the Great Plague that we possess' Anthony Burgess
In 1665 the plague swept through London, claiming over 97,000 lives. Daniel Defoe was just five at the time of the plague, but he later called on his own memories, as well as his writing experience, to create this vivid chronicle of the epidemic and its victims. 'A Journal' (1722) follows Defoe's fictional narrator as he traces the
The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is the lesser-known sequel to Defoe's well-loved Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe is married in England when he is overcome by the melancholy urge to visit his island once more. After the death of his wife he sets sail and finds his island in a state of disarray. He installs a code of conduct and leaves the habitants with useful skills. He then sails home via Madagascar, South-East Asia and China and
...Daniel Defoe wrote Moll Flanders in 1722, after the highly successful Robinson Crusoe. Defoe's political work was ceasing at the time, though his experience with the Whigs shines through in the novel. The full title of the novel gives a brief overview of its contents:
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu'd Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her
...British writer Daniel Defoe is credited with being one of the first writers to dabble in longer-form fiction, eventually leading to the development of the novel format. His final work, published anonymously, follows the life of a remarkable woman who flouts the social strictures of the eighteenth century and takes up with a series of men in order to ensure the survival of her family—but always on her own terms and in a manner consistent with
...This fascinating volume from the author of such influential novels as Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders offers an analytical take on the figure of Satan. Although Defoe offers a comprehensive history of the symbolic and literary significance of the devil, he also believes that the devil plays an active and direct role in determining the course of world events, which he outlines in great detail. All in all, it's a must-read for those
...11) Roxana
14) Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is the fictional autobiography of the title character. As a young man, Crusoe sets out from England on a disastrous sea voyage. His passion for seafaring remains undiminished and so he sets out again, only to be shipwrecked a third time. His journey takes him to Brazil where he becomes a plantation owner. A third and final shipwrecking, however, leaves him stranded for 28 years on a remote island. There he becomes a devout
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