But let's be clear right up front. My 5-star rating of this book applies only to the original unabridged version in Johann Wyss' own words. The modernized versions are watered down, time-wasters for word wusses.

When I was nine years old I spent months struggling through this book for the first time. The old style language made for rough going, but I persevered. In the end I was rewarded with more than a classic tale marvelously told; I discovered a love of books and earned self-respect for tackling a tough read.

If I was a teacher whose task it was to introduce students to classic literature, I would skip Dickens and use this book. Kids love adventure, animals, and action. Swiss Family Robinson has it all. It's really a thriller disguised as a literary classic. All book lovers should read this one at least once.

And please don't watch the Disney movie and claim you've "been there, did that" on this story. The movie is totally different and in no way compares.

There's not many classic books that are more well known than "The Swiss Family Robinson." A Swiss family is stranded on an uninhabited island and there doesn't seem to be any rescues that are lingering around the corner for many years. Soon the family is taming tons of new pets, fighting off animals such as anacondas and lions, and learning how to basically survive off the land the best they can. The Robinson family must keep an eye out for danger while also starting a whole new way of life for themselves.

I thought "The Swiss Family Robinson" was a spectacular adventure/survival book. You can say that the book is pretty much a long diary that is kept by the father of the family of everything that happens to them on the island. The book I read did have many references to God unlike some of the abridged editions. The only thing I didn't like about "The Swiss Family Robinson" is that when the family starts collecting and taming many animals that they find on the island, it gets a little tough to keep up with all the animals' names, but that wasn't bad enough to take anything away from the book for me.

I recommend anybody who likes survival or adventure books, especially if you like reading the classics, to get "The Swiss Family Robinson." I would recommend getting an unabridged version of the book if you can so you won't miss a word.

Never mind the film versions; the original unabridged Swiss Family Robinson is an exciting epic with a lot in it for the whole family.

Our third grade teacher read to us from this book every day and I could hardly wait for the next installment. Finally I got my own copy for a birthday gift, sat on the couch and read it cover to cover in one go. I still have this book, decades later.

From the opening, thrilling tempest scene to the very end and the "rescue", this book has plenty of action as well as creative solutions to problems. There is a lot of material for discussion, how the family solved problems, how they handled disagreements, adversity, disappointment, building of character.

This book definitely teaches values along with the adventure and the values are linked in such a way as to be an integral part of the story.

And Swiss Family Robinson is never boring. There is always an exciting new beast to be discovered, a new plant to use for food or clothing, a new machine or tool to be built, a new part of the island to explore. This is a wonderful book to read out loud to kids until they are old enough to enjoy reading it themselves. If you are bored with re-runs on TV, turn off the box and spend a half-hour or hour every evening reading this aloud. Everyone will have a great time, and kids who are read to, become readers themselves.

"Robinson Crusoe"(can't underline), written by Daniel Defoe, teaches a life lesson through Crusoe's thrilling adventures and is recommended to people from age ten and up (minor violence is involved in the story). The story starts as young Robinson Crusoe faces a ship wreck and gets trapped in an uninhabited island. Desperate to survive, he attempts to create an environment where he can live with convenience. Through many conflicts, Robinson's wits are also shown, one of the things to catch while reading this book. Borrow the book from the library to experience the great excitement and to find out what happens to Crusoe in the island. This is one of those books that will make you stay up over mid-night.

The book 'Robinson Crusoe' is one of my all time favorite books. I was turned onto classics recently when I started to look into the classics section of the books store. I wanted to know what all the hype was about books and stories such as this one. Being a classic tends to give way to the idea that the book has a lot to offer, and that is no different for 'Robinson Crusoe', a remarkable story of remarkable circumstances that present themselves to the main character. Although the story, often dubbed 'the story of a man stranded on an island for 26 years', sounds dull and uneventful, nothing could be further from the truth. Those who've never read it refer to it as that, a story of a man stranded on an island for 26 years. Those of us who have read it understand that it's much more than that. This may be the best story ever composed. The swift current of the novel is quick-paced and could include nothing more to keep a reader entertained.

Regarding the moral implications such as those of slavery, the novel heavily disfavors the ideas we have in society today by condoning and thinking only once about slavery. I believe this further treats us in a piece of literature that also acts as a diary of times. What better way to tell a story, than to simply tell the truth? And in those times the truth was that slavery was a part of society and nothing more shameful than modern day coffee drinking. It was a business and although unfavorable today, it was the truth of the times. I have the same feeling about the references to religion. Those times were different and act today as a time capsule for readers to understand what things may have been like only 300 years ago.

Literally, the novel uses (by modern standards) odd English and can be difficult for novice readers. However, even for a novice reader the novel can be a challenge to learn about how the writers of our past wrote novels. As the reader proceeds through the story, more is understood and eventually the story flows as freely as a morning newspaper. I would encourage users to read this knowing that it is almost three hundred years old, and that the slang is thick and different from ours.

The storytelling is nothing short of a masterpiece. The story itself touches down on many aspects of the human condition; hatred, happiness, courage, perseverance, loyalty, love, treachery and friendship. We can all relate at one point or another with Robinson Crusoe.

Regarded as possibly the first English novel ever, this tells the story of a man who's found himself alone and shipwrecked on a deserted island; the many years he spends making a new home for himself, the many times he tries to escape his paradise dungeon and the thick courage it took to outlast the immeasurable feat of solitude. This is the story of a man who finds one footprint on a deserted island.

This is one of those books in which I feel that those who give it one star are right on the point, as well as those who feel that it is a masterpiece.

It is obvious that almost none of us knows what sort of interpretations will receive in the year 2560 a novel written in 1990 and held in our time, by both, popular opinion and literary circles, as a msterpiece. Maybe future readers will feel that is a bunch of rubish and that the nature of the character is not that of the hero but that of an obnoxious artist. The same way some people see today Robinson Crusoe as a repelent friend of slavery.

Judging the moral merits of a novel more than 300 years after it was written is sort of futile because we can not demand from the author to be attuned to the cultural beliefs, world views, literary technique and metal structure of today's reader. But all the critics of whether it is fun to read or not, are perfectly valid, since being entertained is powerful reason to pick up a book at any time in history.

Now, for me Robinson Crusoe is a great book because it can be read at several levels, that is for some people is just the story of a guy stranded in an island. For others is a parabole about the reediming power of the faith. Some see an existencialist struggle between the freedom of the individual versus the complex workings of society and not few percive a shameless propaganda for white supremacy and slavery, and will gladly have the book banned as compulsary reading in schools.

The fact is that by the end of the XVII Century, a writing of this characteristics was unknown, nobody wrote like that. Such spark of originality is recognized and deserves attention, because it creates a turning point in the history of literature. If for today's reader is fun to read or not, that is really another issue. As you will see for many of Amazon.com's reviewers the answer is quite extreme between the opposites of 1 and 5 stars. I invite you to know why.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

Robinson Crusoe is an enjoyable story. I thought it was a nice plot. Also, Daniel Defoe spoke of survival skills and how Robinson applied the techniques as means necessary for his survival. There was no analyzation of Robinson at least on psychological levels. I can see that he examined himself religiously. That really slowed the book down and became boring in the process. Also, the plot was not strong as the author had too many focuses: the home, the Brazils, the Shipwreck, the wolves incident, the aftermath, etc.. I prefer the introduction and the solitude on an island for the story. The wolves incident completely threw the book out of track. I will call it a nice classic story with a lot of flaws in its novel. It also skims a lot in the novel, not providing a lot of concrete details. When years went by, it didn't really focus on the years, but what happened that seems to happen the same too often. I felt there should be some kind of change annually. One thing I must point out is: How did Robinson took care of himself in regards to the excretion system? How did he go on to take care of the excretion matter?

P.S. I recently visited the new spy museum in Washington D.C.. By coincidence, I was also reading Robinson Crusoe at the same time. I happen to notice the fact that Daniel Defoe was a British spy and was credited being the first to set up the spy espionage network in all of Britain.

This book is not the easiest of books to read. It has grammar that demands it be followed precisely word for word. Then there is the fact that it takes about 50 pages before the action truly begins. And, on top of all that, once the plot actually begins, some chapters make for very dull reading...

But it is still an exciting, adventure filled book. Robinson Crusoe defies his family and becomes a sailor on the high seas. Whether just having natural bad luck, or a curse put on him for disobeying his family, he meets with disaster time and again. This will eventually culminate into his being a lone survivor, of a ship wreck, trapped on an island.

Although, as I have written, it takes awhile for the novel to get into its main plot and that when Crusoe is on the island parts of the plot can be dull, all this information adds to our knowledge of Crusoe--of his growing self-sufficientness and confidence, and ability to grow and make items, supplies, and food, and especially of his transformation from woe-is-me sailor to hardy islander.

This book does have its faults--the prevalent racism being the main one. For example, Friday is portrayed as an all-worshiping servant of Crusoe. Also, everyone Crusoe encounters is portrayed as a weakling whose problems can only be solved by Crusoe alone. However, although these attitudes of racism and superiority can't be ignored by the reader, one must remember that this book was written during a time period when these attitudes were considered a normal part of life.

This book is highly recommanded to anyone who loves tales of adventures of high seas.

Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Dafoe is the most tedious and boring book I have ever read. Of course just like any other book it had its occasional good points, but the repeating settings and descriptions got very old very quickly. At first you think It is going to be a great read, very descriptive and entertaining but for me Around the time he got sick It became more than a chore to read this. Also the book is very "far-fetched" just due to the fact that he survives so many life risking events; Shipwreck, Severe Illness, Starvation, Slavery, Escape, Cannibals, Hundreds of Wolves. It just seemed like he had a "deal with the devil" and I dont' find reads of this type very enjoyable, they are predictable.
Ok enough bashing I did enjoy parts of the book such as when they would go into detail of how he created things and myself being an "outdoorsy" person I found it interesting debating within myself to see whether or not i could accomplish the same tasks that he completed. Also I liked how he was able to create such a flourishing environment for himself, his animals and, Friday. Another part I liked was how Crusoe was able to teach Friday his type of speech and life styles. It would be almost unfathomable how hard it would be to relate to a person that you would have no common ground or no ideas on how to communicate with them. Overall i give the book a 5 out of 10 only because he was able to make me feel as if i was living on the island viewing Crusoe and that is a feet within itself.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

The book Robinson Cursoe by Daniel Defore is a very good book. It is a very adventurous and spellbinding work of art. The book is about Robinson Cursoe, a man that disobayed his parents and ventured out to sea. Robinson got stranded on a island secluded from civilization. He made a life for himself trying to survive. He faced many dangers and peril trying to find a way to escape. Then he finally found a way to escape back to civilization. I liked this book very much, it was very adventurous and thrilling. I would recommend this book to people with an open mind and with a good sense of adventure.

Officially, this book is taken for the work of Captain Charles Johnson. It is a compilation of narratives about various individual pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy, names like Blackbeard and Bartholomew Roberts (the dread pirate Roberts, from Princess Bride fame), Anne Bonny et al.

The conclusion that Defoe and Johnson were one and the same has come under fire these last few years and is not the accepted fact it once was. This text includes portions of the original volumes by Johnson, but not the whole, although it can be argued that it includes the stories that most readers would want. There is also some question about the validity of the stories, but we may never know whether they are true or fiction. P-)

This is yet another of the knock-offs of Captain Charles Johnson's General History of Pirates. It includes narratives of all the old favorites: Blackbeard, Kidd, Roberts, Bonny and others. As usual, Johnson's prose is preserved and some of the original illustrations grace the pages. The editor/publisher has includes a glossary, bibliography and notes to the original text.

However, the down side of this particular volume is that it includes only a subset of Johnson's original writings. And, there is no added index with which to quickly reference particular names and such. While I don't quite agree that the editor has ruined the original, I do find that this version falls short of its potential. P-)

As in the case of all Daniel Defoe books, the work is of exceptional quality though in places, the tone is unusually harsh & chillingly descriptive of the havoc that a twisted mind can wreak in the world.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe is neither the best nor the worst book I have ever read. I have long been a lover of classical language. As such, I am enchanted by the engaging rhythm of Defoe's words. His dialogue is charming as he uses a tongue and accent not much different from today's but far more elegant. The plot of the story, however, disappoints me. The story is wholly comprised of events, making it nothing more than a flowery timeline of one woman's life. For me, this odd combination of excellent language and mediocre plot makes for an ultimately readable yet slightly dissatisfying novel.

Moll Flanders is the story of one woman's struggle to avoid the plight of poverty in seventeenth-century England. Moll is born in Newgate prison and orphaned by her criminal mother. From there, she is taken in by a kindly woman and raised as a "gentlewoman," and thus her story begins. Moll's childhood innocence is quickly transformed as her life turns from that of a simple servant into that of a common prostitute. She soon learns that sex and marriage are merely tools for bartering with, and love is only worth its weight in gold. Eventually, Moll turns from prostitution to stealing in order to supplement her finances, and her life goes drastically downhill from there. Her story is littered with unresolved sin and shame, until one momentous event changes her entire outlook on life and on love and teaches her what it means to be righteous.

Ultimately, what sounds like an intriguing story line results only in one continuous stream of events. Defoe's style of writing, although nicely worded, is impersonal in that he includes very little about the thoughts and feelings of Moll. Everything the reader learns about the main character is derived entirely from the events that comprise her life. Although this is supposed to be Moll's story, she has no reaction to the world around her. She simply reiterates what actions she has taken on her journey through life and what the resulting consequences are for those actions. Though hardly imagined to be a complete imbecile, Moll has absolutely no thought. The only words that I hear spoken directly from her mouth to the reader are words of dialogue to another character. The banality of this style of literature is highly disappointing in my eyes.

I am also highly disappointed with the content of the story. Only the first few pages and the last few pages are void of any criminal or adulterous behavior. Every other page contains a perfect recollection of one sin after the other. Although the story claims that this unrelenting wickedness should be useful to deter other sinners, I find that the continuous stream practically drowns me with boredom. Eventually, I lose track of Moll's numerous husbands and her countless thieving exploits. Any time a reference is made to her past history, I am forced to flip through the pages to find the mentioned sin as I have gotten it confused with some other of a similar nature. By the end of the story, every adventure sounds the same and every man has the same amount of money. I would have liked to see more variety in these pages.

I would not discourage another person from reading this book, however. I would gladly recommend it to those who love classical language, for I find Daniel Defoe was a great author for the words he could write, not necessarily for the stories he could create. The language is beautiful and enticing, for that alone I would recommend the book. Keep track of events and people while reading, though, because everything starts to sound the same after awhile.

This book is about a woman, Moll Flanders, who was born in a prison and raised by a governess that brought her up as a "gentlewoman". ALthough her manners were that of a gentlewoman, circumstances led her to become a thief and a "whore" (her own term), and her spirit kept her in that trade until she re-lived her mother's fate.
It is hard to believe that this book is written by a man, for he knows female nature very well and looks very critically at the actions of men towards Moll. I would almost call this book feminist, although I don't like to use that term, since it makes men run from those books. I use that term very loosely, since it really does not go into any deeper feminst issues. This book is filled with adventures and is funny and witty, although its storyline is somewhat grim. I really wanted to give this book 3 1/2 stars because it left me wanting for more, not just at the end, but throughout. All events are described in very little detail, and I personally wanted to know more about Moll and other characters. Overall, I liked it because it managed to entertain me and because it's fast and short, it grabs your attention.

Richard Phillips, lecturer in Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, adds to the body of literature on imperialism and Imperial fiction. His primary goal in this book is to see how adventure stories from the eighteenth century through the early twentieth century gmappedh masculinity, colonialism and imperialism. The term gmappingh is used since Phillips sees realistic adventure stories as describing both geography and identity. While his overall analysis is deconstructionist in nature, Phillips notes in the introduction that he intends to place the stories in their appropriate historical and social context (p.18), and focus on the plot of the story instead of its other facets (p. 21). Working chronologically through the material, he looks at how the definitions of colonialism and masculinity change through time.

The majority of the works reviewed range in date from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century, but some space is devoted to more recent post-colonial writers. In addition to Defoe and Verne, probably the best known of the pre-20th century authors covered in this book, the works of Ballantyne, Favenc, and Marchant are also examined. For the 20th century, Phillips deals with the works of Coetzee, Golding and Selvon. Readers may be surprised by these choices, but they should keep in mind his emphasis is the realistic adventure story.

Several points arise in Phillips review of adventure literature. While Said and other critics may vilify adventure fiction, Phillips comes to its defense by noting that it must be studied in its proper historical context (p. 161-163). Further, as demonstrated throughout the text, the values and morals espoused by adventure literature changed over time. Admittedly, as Phillips duly notes, the change is slow and in that regard, adventure literature must be considered a gconservativeh genre, but it is neither a monolithic nor simplistic genre.

A variety of critical stances are taken to task for their view of adventure stories. In a critique of Woodsf famous essay, he makes a strong case that the homosocial relationships portrayed in many of the adventure stories should not be read as implying a homosexual relationship. He notes that men can be mentors to boys and young adults and there not be any sexual overtones involved. Camaraderie between males, while indicating an emotional relationship between men, does not equate to a sexual relationship either. From a historical perspective, it must also be kept in mind that women were often absent in the early stages of exploration and colonization of the New World and Australasia. Their absence in adventure stories should not be seen as an implicit statement of homosexuality.
And while employing Fryefs theory of archetypes and symbols, Phillips is not slavish to the theory. For example, he rejects equating homosociality with a homosexual Achilles and Patroclus archetype. He also argues throughout the book, in opposition to Frye, that adventure stories portray a historical masculinity instead of an archetypical one.
Unlike many other critics, Phillips also sounds out a cautionary note on his interpretations. For example, Phillips firmly believes that readers themselves are the ones to interpret a text; these interpretations have their basis in the reader and the readerfs experience, and may be entirely different than what the writer and publisher intend. Also noted to add that his interpretation is not necessarily the one that the original audience may have embraced. It is refreshing to see a critic express doubts about their interpretations.
I recommend this book with some caveats. It provides a useful framework for examining masculinity, race and imperialism in the 19th century adventure stories. By focusing on some of the lesser-known writers, Philips helps provide more background on the literary climate of Victorian England. While an intriguing look at the portrayal of masculinity in adventure stories, I feel in numerous places Phillipsf arguments need more detailed development. In addition, while the authors he examines will be new to many people, I also feel he should have given more attention to some of the more gclassicf and better known adventure writers such as H. Rider Haggard and Rudyard Kipling. Chapters 6 (Verne and a few other French adventure writers) and 7 (Golding, Seldon, and Coetzee overview), I feel detract from his emphasis on British imperialism and masculinity.

Richard Phillips, lecturer in Geography at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, adds to the body of literature on imperialism and Imperial fiction. His primary goal in this book is to see how adventure stories from the eighteenth century through the early twentieth century gmappedh masculinity, colonialism and imperialism. The term gmappingh is used since Phillips sees realistic adventure stories as describing both geography and identity. While his overall analysis is deconstructionist in nature, Phillips notes in the introduction that he intends to place the stories in their appropriate historical and social context (p.18), and focus on the plot of the story instead of its other facets (p. 21). Working chronologically through the material, he looks at how the definitions of colonialism and masculinity change through time.

The majority of the works reviewed range in date from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century, but some space is devoted to more recent post-colonial writers. In addition to Defoe and Verne, probably the best known of the pre-20th century authors covered in this book, the works of Ballantyne, Favenc, and Marchant are also examined. For the 20th century, Phillips deals with the works of Coetzee, Golding and Selvon. Readers may be surprised by these choices, but they should keep in mind his emphasis is the realistic adventure story.

Several points arise in Phillips review of adventure literature. While Said and other critics may vilify adventure fiction, Phillips comes to its defense by noting that it must be studied in its proper historical context (p. 161-163). Further, as demonstrated throughout the text, the values and morals espoused by adventure literature changed over time. Admittedly, as Phillips duly notes, the change is slow and in that regard, adventure literature must be considered a gconservativeh genre, but it is neither a monolithic nor simplistic genre.

A variety of critical stances are taken to task for their view of adventure stories. In a critique of Woodsf famous essay, he makes a strong case that the homosocial relationships portrayed in many of the adventure stories should not be read as implying a homosexual relationship. He notes that men can be mentors to boys and young adults and there not be any sexual overtones involved. Camaraderie between males, while indicating an emotional relationship between men, does not equate to a sexual relationship either. From a historical perspective, it must also be kept in mind that women were often absent in the early stages of exploration and colonization of the New World and Australasia. Their absence in adventure stories should not be seen as an implicit statement of homosexuality.

And while employing Fryefs theory of archetypes and symbols, Phillips is not slavish to the theory. For example, he rejects equating homosociality with a homosexual Achilles and Patroclus archetype. He also argues throughout the book, in opposition to Frye, that adventure stories portray a historical masculinity instead of an archetypical one.

Unlike many other critics, Phillips also sounds out a cautionary note on his interpretations. For example, Phillips firmly believes that readers themselves are the ones to interpret a text; these interpretations have their basis in the reader and the readerfs experience, and may be entirely different than what the writer and publisher intend. Also noted to add that his interpretation is not necessarily the one that the original audience may have embraced. It is refreshing to see a critic express doubts about their interpretations.

I recommend this book with some caveats. It provides a useful framework for examining masculinity, race and imperialism in the 19th century adventure stories. By focusing on some of the lesser-known writers, Philips helps provide more background on the literary climate of Victorian England. While an intriguing look at the portrayal of masculinity in adventure stories, I feel in numerous places Phillipsf arguments need more detailed development. In addition, while the authors he examines will be new to many people, I also feel he should have given more attention to some of the more gclassicf and better known adventure writers such as H. Rider Haggard and Rudyard Kipling. Chapters 6 (Verne and a few other French adventure writers) and 7 (Golding, Seldon, and Coetzee overview), I feel detract from his emphasis on British imperialism and masculinity.

In the literary world it is perhaps blasphemy to say a bad word against Daniel Defoe's most acclaimed novel. So here goes. The fact that the book was originally titled The Life And Strange Surprising Adventures Of Robinson Crusoe illustrates the major flaw in Defoe's literary form. Put simply, this would be a far more interesting and gripping story were it not so superfluously lengthy. The author makes a habit of repeating himself, especially when it comes to the act of dispatching kittens, which seems to be more of an obsession here than octogenarian ladies are to MatronsApron. It is difficult, you may think, to keep the subject matter fresh when describing the daily tribulations of a fellow stranded on an island for thirty years, without occasionally repeating yourself. True, but perhaps a straightforward solution to this diminutive quandary would be to simply truncate the duration of the story. There are some wonderfully intriguing and suspenseful moments, and some juicy action to boot, but sadly these are gratuitously diluted by lengthy descriptions of the unremarkable everyday goings on in Crusoe's life, and rather than serving to build up the suspense, they merely obstruct the reader's relationship with the more exciting parts of the story.
However, those with more patience than my ignorant self will find in Robinson Crusoe a delightful tale, which as well as being a fictional documentary of the most unusual thirty years of Mr. Crusoe's life, also has time to ponder upon philosophical and theological ideas, in a style that makes the reader feel as if they are involved in the conflicts between the functionalist and cynical thoughts going on in Crusoe's mind. It may not be a gripping white-knuckle adventure, being rather more leisurely and acquiescent, but it is still rather easy to see why Robinson Crusoe is regarded by some as one of the greatest novels of all time.