Genre Affiliation and Narrative Manner of the Novel "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe

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11/3/2011

Genre Affiliation and Narrative Manner of the Novel "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe

The works of Daniel Defoe (ca. 16591661 to 1731), an English trader, journalist, and writer who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), have always been in the focus of the literary criticism. The majority of the published books, monographs, articles, essays, etc concentrate on the novel ideas/ themes, characterization of the images, and analysis of philosophical and social framework. Fewer publications, however, focus on the structural design of the Robinson Crusoe, which represents a transitional form of the narrative structure of the novel of Classicism to the novel of Sentimentalism and Romanticism with its open, free structure. Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe stands at the interface of many genres integrating various features and styles, thus forming a unique synthesis.

Genre Affiliation

The plot of the novel Robinson Crusoe is split into two parts: the first part describes the events related to the social being of the main character, Robinson Crusoe, his life at the homeland; the second part describes his life on an uninhabited island. The narration is first person, the author of the text is completely exempt, which facilitates the effect of credibility and truthfulness. Although the novel shares many features of the descriptive genre of real events (maritime chronicle), the story cannot be described as pure chronicles. Numerous reflections and arguments of Robinson, his relationship with God, description of the feelings that overwhelms the prototype, repetitions represent symbolic and emotional components of the narrative, thus expanding the scope of the genre definition of the novel. Accordingly, a lot of definitions of genre are applied to the novel Robinson Crusoe: an adventure novel, an education novel, a treatise on natural education, spiritual autobiography, chronicles, memoirs, an allegorical parable, a philosophical novel, a Utopia. Daniel Defoe himself in print claimed that all the misfortunes of Robinson is nothing like playing an allegorical interpretation of the dramatic twists and turns of his own life.
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Narrative Structure and Manner

With regard to the narrative structure, novel Robinson Crusoe is executed in the selfnarrative form as a combination of memoir written by the eyewitness and inserts of the elements of diary. In the diary Robinson states the facts, and in his memoirs makes their assessment. These two forms of narrative are not separated from each other in fact, diary often contains the elements of memoirs and dairy facts are stated in the memoirs. Many of the descriptions are given by Robinson twice - in the form of the memoir and the diary, and memoir is preceded by the description of the diary, which creates the effect of a split of the hero: the one who lives on the island and who describes the life outside it. The point of view of the main character and author are identical; to be more precise, the point of view of the character is the only one in the novel, because the author of the text is absent. In terms of spatial and temporal considerations, the narrative combines chronicle and retrospective aspects. The main goal of the author is verification and validation, i.e. to ensure maximum reliability of the narration. Thus, already in the Preface to the novel the author says that this story is nothing but a rigorous exposition of the facts, that there is no trace of fiction. To reinforce the illusion of greater authenticity Defoe makes extensive use of "documentary" evidence in the story - inventories, registers, etc., as well as the use of meticulously detailed descriptions. Even discrepancies in the detailed descriptions do not violate the likelihood effect, for example: "to get to the ship; so I pulled off my clothes. And later on the ship I went to the bread room and filled my pockets with biscuit [part 4]. Reliability and credibility are one of the main features of Defoe's narrative manner. It should be admitted it was not a unique manner invented by Defoe -- interest to the pure fact rather than fiction was a characteristic tendency of the age in which the author lived. Narration within the framework of reliability and credibility has happened to become a defining characteristic of adventure and psychological novels. All narrative in the novel Robinson Crusoe is processed through the hero himself, through his inner world, completely non-interfered by the author. This technique not only increases the illusion of verisimilitude, creating the sensation of novel similarity with the
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document of the eyewitness, but also serves as a means of psychological self-discovery of the character. The core of the plot is the description of the life of Robinson Crusoe on a desert island; the core story is taken in the brackets on two sides -- the life of Robinson before he found himself on the island and life on his return to his native environment. It should be noted that the small-volume story of the pre-island life of the character is saturated by the events significantly more compared to the main narrative body, in which the function of eventfulness is partially transferred into the inner aspect, i.e. experience, thoughts, reflection of the hero: "I do not remember that I had in all that Time one Thought that so much as tended either to looking upwards toward God, or inwards towards a Reflection upon my own Ways: But a certain Stupidity of Soul, without Desire of Good, or Conscience of Evil, had entirely overwhelmed me" [part 2]. Pre-island narration is linear, dominated by the features of inverse time and flashbacks. The linearity of the narrative of the story on the island is broken -- by the diary inserts, reasoning and memories of Robinson, his appeals to God, repetition and multiple empathic insights about the events (for example, his anxieties when he saw footprints; fears about the savages; thoughts about the alternatives for return, etc). Diving line between the inner and outer lines of event is often a phrase: "but to go on" [part 4]. Analogical phrase "but I return to my Journal" [part 3] separates the thoughts in the diary. Dual plot of the novel possesses dual components:

1) Pre-island chapters: The exposition of the plot takes place in the first two paragraphs in which the hero introduces himself -- his name, origin, place of living and occupation. Thus, the life story begins. Then follows a brief exposition, which unveils hero's desire to leave his home (the reason for this passion is a dispute with his father) and finally escape by boat. Robinson Crusoe admits "that there seem'd to be something fatal in Propensity of Nature tending directly to the Life of Misery which was to befall me" [part 1].

Since that moment the laws of adventurous narrative structure come into force. Passions for adventurous undertakings laid in the love to the sea gives rise to further events. Development of the action is the description of various wanderings and vicissitudes of the hero written in the form of adventurous novel with condense course of events and rigid chronological framework. The climax is the storm which results in the shipwreck; the outcome is isolation of Robinson on a desert island. All this is compressed in 40 pages of chronological text. The main conflict in this part of the story is presented in the form of disagreement between Robinson and his father, and a sense of guilt toward the latter. This conflict is expressed in the form of an evil fate pursuing Robinson. The conflict is resolved by the "God's punishment"- the shipwreck and solitude. 2) Island chapters The outset of the island plot can be carried out from different points of reference: the last journey undertaken by Robinson for slaves, or directly his isolation on the island. The initial development of the story is based on the stages of development of human society. Robinson settles down on the island, cultivates and develops his surroundings, then begins to change and elaborate his activities producing more objects (things) of higher complexity. Events unfold around the daily work of Robinson and are characterized by enumeration of his main achievements: sewing clothing, making shelter, planting seeds, harvesting, building a corral for goats, creating tools, burning pots, etc. Adventurous narrative steps back giving way to the descriptive narration. Series of events can be traced in two domains: external actions/incident and the inner experiences, which include dreams. Robinson in this part of the story undergoes all stages of human development from hunter, farmer, cattleman and entrepreneur to the slaveholder. However, all these stages are under constant control of the bourgeois businessman. Hence, the endless calculations, estimations, strategy, numbers take place. Adventurous content builds up starting from Robinsons discovery of footprint and heightens further in the view of the danger of cannibals. Human factor is added to the surprises of the nature. The rate of eventfulness accelerates. Earlier description of events span through the years, i.e. Robinson could easily jump few years in his description, but now the time between events is compressed. The period from the discovery of footprint to finding
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the remains of the cannibal feast is only two years, to meeting Friday one and a half years, to his complete release - three years. Accelerated eventfulness and drama gradually leads to the climax: the meeting with a pirate ship. It should be noted that although the meeting of Robinson with the pirates and war with them is conventionally regarded as the culmination, in fact, there are few local climaxes in the plot: every victory of Robinson Crusoe over nature, creation of new things can be considered as a high point in his activity. As the story develops and climax approaches, Robinsons existence and human environment become more sophisticated -- new things and structures, acquaintance with Friday, meeting savages, pirates, and finally, the whole society. The narrative of his successful return to his homeland (back to society) foretells happy outcome. Intercourse with Friday bring some solace in the course of events and the emotional intensity of the narrative based on the enduring sense of fear, and the plot unfolds in the direction of the narrative of the relations between master Robinson and servant Friday. It should be noted that Robinson and Friday relationship is not typically master-servant relationship rather the one of friends. Robinson does not exploit Friday, he treats him as a child. Friday seems to obey him with admiration and desire. Master-slave game element is sufficiently developed in the novel, the entire novel can be defined as a grand utopia, fascinating game of the survival of civilization and imitation of inherent relationship as an imitation of the historical path of human development, done by one person in thirty years of solitude. Conflict, which consolidates the plot is divided into two realms: external and internal. External conflicts are presented by the following series: Robinson and Nature, Robinson and savages, Crusoe and the Pirates. Internal conflict unfolds in the battle of soul of drifting money-maker, which pushes the character to new adventures, with the soul of cowardly, calculating, petty bourgeois puritan, which keeps him from the "madness" the adventure of life. Turning to God, preaching moderation and abstinence, calls for repentance, present in derogative insights of the hero contradict his subsequent actions and motives. Throughout the island part of the story Robinson maintains dialogue with himself, the eternal debate of reason with passion, in which no one is a winner: the resulting fight with Robinson himself equals to zero. Upon his return to the homeland, Robinson is the same as in the beginning. In

this sense we can say that the internal conflicts in the novel has not received its logical resolution - with the return of the hero the conflict has vanished. In addition to the external sequence of the events, the story has a latent and internal development, which allows tracing various allegorical interpretations and parallels - a parable about spiritual fall and revival of a human being, a variation of the biblical story of the prodigal son. Allegorical connotation of the novel appears in the prophetic dreams of Robinson, in constant dispute with the mind over belief in God's mercy or punishment. In a sense, biblical symbolism can be seen in all of the activities of Robinson Crusoe as a demonstration of stages in the development of civilization (history of mankind) through detailed description of creation of objects and own world on the island as it is similarly depicted in the Holy Scriptures. Various instructions and advice on different occasions of Robinson Crusoe, his instructive stories, formulas encoded in accounting inventories, calculations and dates, accurate recording of all parts and elements of newly build and enhancing world recall writings of the biblical prophets with precise genealogical data, yields, etc.

Conclusions The novel Robinson Crusoe embodies features of various genres: adventure novel, a novel of education, allegorical parables, spiritual autobiography, psychological novel, grand Utopia. The structure of the novel is of chronicle concentric type supported by self-narrative diary-memoir form. It is basically a composition of direct time, but with some degree of retrospection. The peculiarity of the novel lays in its constant change of compositional forms and techniques applied by the author, i.e. memoirs, diary, biography, features of adventure novel, registers, a story in the story (dream), flashbacks (memories), philosophical and religious reflections, sermons and moral teachings. All techniques used by the writer serve one goal: creation of convincingly positive image of free bourgeois.

Bibliography: Braudy Leo. Daniel Defoe and the Anxieties of Autobiography. - Genre, 1973, vol.6, No 1. Defoe Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. http://www.online-literature.com/defoe/crusoe/ Donoghue, Frank. Inevitable politics: Rulership and identity in Robinson Crusoe. Studies in the Novel, Spring95, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p1, 11p Erickson, Robert A. Starting Over with Robinson Crusoe. Studies in the Literary Imagination, Fall82, Vol. 15 Issue 2, p51, 23p. . . - .: " " 1990.