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DANIEL DEFOE’S “LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON
CRUSOE”
Adamova Surayyo,
Abdusalimova Gavhar
Najmiddinova Nigora
Teacher: Maktuba Khonsaidova
Chirchik State Pedagogical University, Faculty of
Humanities ,Uzbek language and literature major 22/4 group’s
students:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15068233
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Qabul qilindi:7-mart 2025 yil
Ma’qullandi:18-mart 2025 yil
Nashr qilindi: 22-mart 2025 yil
This article discusses the concepts of “problem”
and “poetics” in contemporary literary criticism. The
role and significance of the novel “The Life and
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” in the work of Daniel
Defoe. The uniqueness of the period and general trends.
Genre-stylistic features and structure of the novel.
KEY WORDS
problem, poetics, genre, stylistics,
concept, content, novel.
INTRODUCTION
Defoe himself assured that all of Robinson’s misadventures were nothing more than
an allegorical repetition of the dramatic rises and falls in his life.Many the details Bring the
novel closer to the future psychological novel. From this we can conclude that it is a synthetic
novel, i.e. a novel located at the crossroads of many genres. “Robinson Crusoe” is a book with a
complex structure and a large ideological content. This made it popular in the 18
th
century
during the Enlightenment. This raised
It above the level of simple fantasy of that time and made it a prototype of the future realistic
novel in European literature.
MAIN PART
Defoe himself wrote about the allegorical meaning of his novel. Indeed,the images of
Robinson’s adventures have a great generalizing meaning. The novel embodies Defoe’s ideas
about human life and the history of mankind, and shows the main stages that Robinson
experienced during his life on the island. It would also be wrong to say that Robinson’s life on
the island began with the initial stage of industrial development. Robinson is not entirely
alone in his heroic struggle with nature. He managed to get tools, weapons, gunpowder, paper,
and ink from the wrecked ship. All these objects emdiv the labor of thousands of people, and
therefore human society exists invisibly in Robinson’s hut. Without his help, despite all his
efforts, he could not create the necessary conditions for life. Defoe managed to tell Robinson’s
unusual story with amazing artistic expressiveness. The narration is conducted in the first
person, in a lively and direct form. The simplicity and artistry of the story have great
convincing power. This is achieved due to the realistic accuracy of the descriptions. Defoe
with extraordinary care reflects the smallest details of his hero’s life, and each of them is
endowed with deep meaning. Defoe is a master of description. He creates vivid pictures of
southern nature, knows how to convey the uniqueness of each season. His descriptions of the
sea are magnificent. The second and third parts of “Robinson Crusoe” are much inferior to the
first in terms of depth of content and artistic level. They tell about Robinson’s life and
activities after leaving the island, his trading trips to India, China and Siberia, the organization
of a nomadic colony on the island where he previously lived alone. Robinson has to overcome
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many obstacles, but now it is not about adventure, but about business adventures and
speculation, and the hero himself is depicted as a bourgeois businessman. The third part of
the novel highlights the didactic reflections of the Bourgeois Robinson on life. The form in
which the images in Robinson Crusoe are presented is expressed through travel. Therefore,
we can talk about the use of such a literary genre as travel. Travel genre is based on the
traveler’s description of reliable information about some little-known countries, lands in the
form of notes, diaries, essays. A special type of literary travel is a story about imaginary
wanderings, which we are considering in Robinson Crusoe. The formation and development
of the travel genre is characterized by a complex interaction of documentary, artistic and
folklore forms, which are combined with the image of the traveler, which is already
characteristic of ancient travel. The defining position of such a hero is the position of an
observer of an alien world, and the opposition of “his” world, space to “alien” is a forming
factor of the travel genre. All this is clearly depicted in Robinson, which allows us to talk about
the existence of this genre in the work. All other genre variations stem from this narrative
form. Defoe sought to imagine the folk psychology of his time in the reader’s imagination. The
form of the story speaks in favor of the genre of diary entries, and not only its content.
“Robinson” is an interdisciplinary education, including the genres of document, diary,
autobiography an travellogue. The transition period of the era, new themes and plots
demanded new genres, with the help of which the writer was able to convey his thoughts to
the public more accurately and fully.
As for Defoe’s novel, it is impossible to say for sure which genre his novel “Robinson
Crusoe” belongs to. Everything is controversial here. Everything is multifaceted. Here the
genre of the hero’s biography, diary and document are intertwined. Daniel Defoe’s novel “The
Life, Extraordinary and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” is one of the most widely
read works of world literature. The interest in the writer does not fade away, both among
readers who highly appreciate the genre national traditions and the contribution of the writer
to the development of Western European fiction, and among researchers of the English
“Enlightenment” novel. Daniel Defoe was one of the authors-pedagogues who laid the
foundation for many types, genres and forms of the novel of the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries.
Defoe, as the embodiment of the ideas of the early Enlightenment, describes how the
former Puritan mystic Robinson comes to the inextricable understanding of the universe. The
hero’s confession then shows that nature can be subjugated by the rational Robinson, which
the author describes not as a physical study of the Island, but as a rational knowledge of the
laws of nature and being. As a result, young Robinson, instead of pursuing his fortune, which
he was inspired by the spirit of the times, ends up on an island of despair. Robinson achieves
everything with the power of the spirit and returns home as an entrepreneur. The evolution of
the consciousness of Robinson Crusoe, presented by Defoe, confirms the correctness of the
basic educational concepts of man: firstly, man, even in natural conditions, remains a “social
animal”; secondly, loneliness is unnatural. The hero’s whole life on the island is a process of
returning a person who was placed by fate in a natural, social situation to natural conditions.
Thus, Defoe presents the educational program for the improvement of man and society as
prerequisite for the social order opposes his concepts.
Throughout the novel, D. Defoe ironically emphasizes that his hero is distinguished by
pride, an exaggerated display of his capabilities. This is clearly manifested in the episode
about the construction of a grand boat, when Robinson “was delighted with his idea and did
not bother to calculate whether he had the strength to with stand it.” But the same grandiose
fantasies are found in the intention to build a goat pen with a circumference of two miles; the
raft built by Robinson on one of his trips to the ship turns out to be too large and overloaded;
the cave, which he has expanded too much, becomes open and safer for predators; and so on.
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Despite the current irony, the reader, nevertheless, understands that the author has done a
lot.He understands that he sympathizes with a person who is struggling and even constantly
complains about not having enough time.
Thus, D. Defoe in the novel “The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” raises the problem of
the stage of education and testing of a person. In a narrow sense, this is the experience of
education and self-education of a person, spiritual maturity, testing of the moral strength of a
person. Defoe described the complex process of the formation and development of a person.
The novel is based on the concept of the world and man, characteristic of the early stage of the
Enlightenment. The worldview of a person of that time cannot be seen without the influence
of religious and moral principles on his consciousness, the novel “The Adventures of Robinson
Crusoe” is an undeniable proof of this. In endless mental and physical labor, Robinson gets rid
of the main vices of civilized society: greed, laziness, gluttony, hypocrisy. Defoe describes the
story of life on a desert island in such a way that it becomes clear: the endless process of
knowing the world and tireless work is the natural state of man, which allows him to achieve
true freedom and happiness.Moments of inexpressible inner joy.
Daniel Defoe’s novel “Robinson Crusoe” reflects the most progressive, democratic ideas
of the early Enlightenment. Using the theme of an island disconnected from society, Defoe
uses the life of Robinson as an example to prove the enduring value of inner freedom in social
development, in creating the material and spiritual basis of society. The novel became a sharp,
uncompromising criticism of both the feudal past of England at the beginning of the 18
th
century and the present bourgeoisie. The secret of the unprecedented success of the novel
about the adventures of Robinson Crusoe lies, of course, in the choice of the subject: the hero’s
passion for travel is a clear sign of the era when there were still “white spots” on the map.
However, it is not only the subject, but, above all, the way it is revealed that attracts readers to
this book. Daniel Defoe –
Poetically expressed the reality surrounding his hero on the island, his attitude to
everything that Robinson Crusoe himself had to experience. Poetics is an element of the
writer’s literary and aesthetic views, characteristic of the early novelists of the Enlightenment.
The connection between Defoe’s work and literary traditions and the philosophical and moral
views of the Enlightenment is inextricably linked. Daniel Defoe expanded the boundaries of
aesthetic perception of reality for generations, found his own strange and amazing sphere,
which largely predetermined the success of his work.Daniel Defoe’s novel “Robinson Crusoe”
reflects the most progressive, democratic ideas of the early Enlightenment. Using the theme of
an island disconnected from society, Defoe uses the life of Robinson as an example to prove
the enduring value of inner freedom in social development, in creating the material and
spiritual basis of society. The novel became a sharp, uncompromising criticism of both the
feudal past of England at the beginning of the 18
th
century and the present bourgeoisie. The
secret of the unprecedented success of the novel about the adventures of Robinson Crusoe lies,
of course, in the choice of the subject: the hero’s passion for travel is a clear sign of the era
when there were still “white spots” on the map. However, it is not only the subject, but, above
all, the way it is revealed that attracts readers to this book.
CONCLUSION
Daniel Defoe is one of the founders of the everyday-realistic novel in England. The
author of many novels, Defoe, with the creation of Robinson Crusoe himself, took a place in
world literature after Rabelais, Cervantes, and Miró. Defoe advocated progressive ideas in
“Robinson Crusoe”. He is optimistic about human life. He sees the source of this optimism
primarily in the active labor activity of a person. The story of Robinson Crusoe, with all its ups
and downs, is about a person, his conflict with nature, his struggle for life, his physical,
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intellectual, and moral endurance. This story is not devoid of philosophical content. Robinson
Crusoe was the first “natural man” in the Great European literature of the Enlightenment, that
is, a person who was cut off from his usual social environment and placed in natural
conditions, not limited by the action of any social institutions.
Robinson in his interaction with nature embodies the Enlightenment ideas about
“human nature”. However, Robinson is not only a “general” person who acts in accordance
with his “nature” and mind; Robinson is a very typical representative of the bourgeoisie,
formed under the influence of certain social relations. And if Robinson’s best character – a
person can manifest himself far from society, on a deserted island, but they could not instill in
him a real Bourgeoisie. In this we see his business acumen, the practicality of an entrepreneur.
Defoe shows a simple “true Englishman”, a typical “hero” of his class. But, in fact, the author of
“Robinson Crusoe” pays tribute to the mind, will and hard work of a person, who wins in a
difficult struggle with despair and hopelessness. Robinson Crusoe is the
Enlightenment ideal of the “natural man.”
The life-affirming pathos of Defoe’s novel was not only suitable for enlightened readers.
The history of the perception of this wonderful book in our century is not only an indicator.
Numerous imitations of Robinson Crusoe, his unsuccessful parodies have long been
forgotten. And the book still interests the reader, inspiring him with vital activity,
perseverance and love of labor. Robinson Crusoe was one of those books in the spirit of
humanity that convinced humanity of itself, its strength, and invincibility even at a time when
it seemed that it was not easy for the world to withstand the onslaught of fear and despair.
Common sense. Defoe is “the history of man’s Selfaffirmation in nature, in society. Everywhere
he glorified the courage and fortitude of the individual. As society is an enemy to man, so is it
to nature. One must fight for survival, and glory to the winner, glory to the strong.” Defoe’s
first and best novel, which has long transcended all national and state boundaries passed the
most difficult test for works of art – the test of time.
Used literature:
1.
Anikin G.V., Mikhalskaya N.P. History of English literature /G.V. Anikin, N.P.
Mikhalskaya – M : Education, 2005.-129 p.
2.
Anikht A Daniel Defoe. Essay on life and creativity. / A.Anikst – M .
: Education, 2007.-130 p.
3.
Artamanov S.D. History of foreign literature of the XVII – XVIII centuries /
S.D.Artamonov – M ..
