Paper #3 assignment on Defoe's Robinson Crusoe--due in 2 weeks!

Paper #3: “Conversing Mutually With My Own Thoughts”: The Debate of Robinson Crusoe

“Before we open the book we have perhaps vaguely sketched out the kind of pleasure we expect [Crusoe] to give us.  We read; and we are rudely contradicted on every page.  There are no sunsets and no sunrises; there is no solitude and no soul.  There is, on the contrary, staring us full in the face nothing but a large earthenware pot” (Woolf, from “Robinson Crusoe” in The Second Common Reader)

Since its publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe has never fallen out of print, though readers’ reactions have altered considerably since the 18^th century.  Some, such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, found it a remarkable testament to the human spirit; others, such as Virginia Woolf (in the quote above), are amazed by its lack of poetry and sentiment.  Like any work of art, each new generation finds new aspects to admire, puzzle over, and at times, reject.  What will Robinson Crusoe become in the 21^st century?  Or will it finally fall out of print?

In your paper, I want you to discuss how we should evaluate Defoe’s masterpiece in the 21^st century:  is it (a) a work ahead of its time in its frank evaluation of colonialism and critique of the business of empire/capitalism, or is it (b) a work that is primarily of interest for its outdated colonial views, which seem to endorse slavery, racism, and European/English superiority?  In other words, does it remain a work of humanist thought that speaks to a global readership, or has it become more a historical document, dramatizing a moment in time that we can learn from—even if we can never endorse its philosophy? 

To help you make this argument, I want you to respond to 2-3 of the authors in the Eighteenth-Nineteenth Century Opinions, and/or Twentieth Century Criticism in our Norton text to discuss how you see Robinson Crusoe in the 21^st century.  Were the 18^th century writers able to see its merits clearly?  Or could only a later age see the remarkable achievements Defoe made in the pioneering form of the novel?  Whom do you most agree with?  Least?  What ideas from previous criticism help you appreciate the work yourself?  Which authors completely miss the point?  Or, what ideas do none of the writers see that most of us see/respond to in 2014?  

REQUIREMENTS

·        This is a conversation paper, meaning that you are responding to other writers/critics and adding your own conversation.  To do this, you must quote from their ideas and show how you understand and respond to their ideas.  Don’t rely on summary and paraphrase.   

·        You must also quote from Robinson Crusoe for support; use significant passages in the book to support your own views and/or refute someone else’s.  Make sure you have a true dialogue with your ideas, the text, and other critics’ views. 

·        At least 4-5 pages, double spaced, though feel free to go beyond this. 

·        DUE in 2 weeks, Monday, November 10^th by 5pm