Order and Disorder in "Robinson Crusoe"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes various themes found in Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", including the concept of order and disorder as it appears in the work. Following a plot summary and brief biography of Defoe, the paper focuses on the opposition between these two concepts, pointing out the alleged ordered and disordered elements in the novel. The reviewer then considers the conflict between order and disorder in the varied spheres of the the work. Quotes from the novel are used to support the reviewer's hypotheses. The paper concludes by pointing out the influence of "Robinson Crusoe" on modern literature.

From the Paper:

"From the very beginning of the novel, the reader is encountered with sharp contrasts, foreshadowing the unfolding of the plot. Indeed, Robinson Crusoe seems to deal in extremes. It presents a world where one state counters its very opposite. We will see that the primary idea of order strictly opposing disorder is portrayed time and again throughout Robinson Crusoe. Indeed, the book seems to set its main themes in polarities. Our study will concentrate on the three focal instances of order and disorder, that is, those partaking of nature and its forces, of spirituality and morality and of society and politics."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Daniel Defoe, A General History of the Pyrates
• Daniel Defoe, The Storm
• Ian Watt, "Robinson Crusoe as a Myth", from Essays in Criticism (April 1951). Reprinted in the Norton Critical Edition (second edition, 1994) of Robinson Crusoe.
• Hunter, J. Paul (1966), The Reluctant Pilgrim. As found in Norton Critical Edition.
• Shinagel, Michael, ed. (1994), Robinson Crusoe. Norton Critical Edition.

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• Analytical Essay # 63452 : "Capitalism in "Robinson Crusoe"

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