Misplaced Pages

#97902

25-450: The book is the most successful of a large number of " Robinsonade " novels that were written in response to the success of Daniel Defoe 's Robinson Crusoe (1719). It has gone through a large number of versions and adaptations. Written by Swiss writer Johann David Wyss, edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss, and illustrated by another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good farming,

50-587: A castaway against his own will, Ballard's protagonists often choose to maroon themselves; hence inverted Crusoeism (e.g., Concrete Island ). The concept provides a reason as to why people would deliberately maroon themselves on a remote island; in Ballard’s work, becoming a castaway is as much a healing and empowering process as an entrapping one, enabling people to discover a more meaningful and vital existence. Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen 's 1668 picaresque novel Simplicius Simplicissimus features

75-451: A certain amount of civilisation from the wilderness. Works that followed went both in the more utopian direction ( The Swiss Family Robinson ) and the dystopian direction ( Lord of the Flies ). The term inverted Crusoeism was coined by English writer J. G. Ballard . The paradigm of Robinson Crusoe has been a recurring topic in Ballard’s work. Whereas the original Robinson Crusoe became

100-400: A geographically impossible array of large mammals and plants that probably could never have existed together on a single island, for the children's education, nourishment, clothing, and convenience. Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the best-known English version is by William H. G. Kingston , first published in 1879. It

125-415: A long time on the island and his thoughts are as much on provisions for the future as on their immediate wants. William and his oldest son Fritz spend the next day exploring the island. The family spends the next few days securing themselves against hunger. William and Fritz make several trips to the ship to bring everything useful from the vessel ashore. The domesticated animals on the ship are towed back to

150-455: A metal dog collar, and two watches. The robinsonade proper also contains the following themes: Genre SF robinsonades naturally tend to be set on uninhabited planets or satellites rather than islands. The Moon is the location of Ralph Morris's proto-SF The Life and Wonderful Adventures of John Daniel (1751), and of John W Campbell Jr's paean to human inventiveness, The Moon is Hell (1950). A classic example of an SF robinsonade which has all

175-468: A plot point, contact with indigenous peoples or extraterrestrial life and social commentary . Unlike Thomas More 's Utopia and romantic works which depicted nature as idyllic, Crusoe made it unforgiving and sparse. The protagonist survives by his wits and the qualities of his cultural upbringing, which also enable him to prevail in conflicts with fellow castaways or over local peoples he may encounter. However, he manages to wrest survival and even

200-420: A secluded and uninhabited island, and must improvise the means of their survival from the limited resources at hand. The genre takes its name from the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe . The success of this novel spawned so many imitations that its name was used to define a genre, which is sometimes described simply as a " desert island story" or a " castaway narrative". The word "robinsonade"

225-473: A shipwrecked protagonist who lives alone on an island. One of the best known robinsonades is The Swiss Family Robinson (1812–27) by Johann David Wyss, in which a shipwrecked clergyman, his wife, and his four sons manage not only to survive on their island but also to discover the good life. Jules Verne strands his castaways in Mysterious Island (1874) with only one match, one grain of wheat,

250-659: Is based on Isabelle de Montolieu 's 1814 French adaptation and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37) Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants in which were added further adventures of Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz. Other English editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869–1910) and Mrs. H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all

275-471: Is given the journal containing the story of their life on the island, which is eventually published. Several family members continue to live tranquilly on their island, while several return to Europe with the British. The principal characters of the book (including Isabelle de Montolieu 's adaptations and continuation) are: In the novel, the family is not called "Robinson" as their surname is not mentioned;

SECTION 10

#1732791934098

300-585: The elements of the robinsonade proper is Tom Godwin 's The Survivors , as well as J. G. Ballard 's Concrete Island . A more recent example is Andy Weir 's 2011 The Martian . Joanna Russ' We Who Are About To... (1977) is a radical feminist objection to the entire genre. Sears List of Subject Headings recommends that librarians also catalog apocalyptic fiction —such as Cormac McCarthy 's popular novel The Road , or even Robert A. Heinlein 's Starship Troopers —as robinsonades. Isabelle de Montolieu Isabelle de Montolieu (1751–1832)

325-600: The expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured." The closest English translation to the original is that of the Juvenile Library in 1816, published by the husband and wife team William Godwin and Mary Jane Clairmont , reprinted by Penguin Classics. Although movie and television adaptations typically name

350-512: The family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name. The German title translates as The Swiss Robinson which identifies the novel as part of the Robinsonade genre, rather than a story about a family named Robinson. The novel opens with a Swiss family in the hold of a sailing ship, weathering a great storm. The ship's crew evacuates without them, so William, Elizabeth, and their four sons (Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz) are left to survive alone. As

375-579: The intention of the title is to compare them to Robinson Crusoe . However, in 1900, Jules Verne published The Castaways of the Flag (alternatively known as Second Fatherland ), where he revisits the original shipwreck. In this sequel, of the family's final years on the original island, the family is called Zermatt (which is, as "Robinson", not a swiss name – however, "Zermatten" is). The novels, in one form or another, have also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing location and time period: In 1963,

400-405: The island. There is also a great store of firearms and ammunition, hammocks for sleeping, carpenter's tools, lumber, cooking utensils, silverware, and dishes. Initially, they construct a treehouse, but as time passes (and after Elizabeth is injured climbing the stairs down from it), they settle in a more permanent dwelling in part of a cave. Fritz rescues a young Englishwoman named Jenny Montrose, who

425-401: The island. Two dogs from the ship, Turk and Juno, swim beside them. The ship's cargo of livestock (including a cow, a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons), guns and powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled pinnace and provisions have survived. Upon reaching the island, the family set up a makeshift camp. William knows that they must prepare for

450-535: The novel was dramatized by the Tale Spinners for Children series ( United Artists Records UAC 11059) performed by the Famous Theatre Company. Robinsonade Robinsonade ( / ˌ r ɒ b ɪ n s ə ˈ n eɪ d / ROB -in-sən- AYD ) is a literary genre of fiction wherein the protagonist is suddenly separated from civilization, usually by being shipwrecked or marooned on

475-488: The same time. These include Charlotte Turner Smith 's Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons (1795), Rambles Farther: A continuation of Rural Walks (1796), and A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807). But Wyss's novel is also modeled after Daniel Defoe 's Robinson Crusoe , an adventure story about a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719. The book presents

500-418: The ship tosses about, William prays that God will spare them. The ship survives the night, and the family finds themselves within sight of a tropical desert island . The following day, they decide to get to the island they can see beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out of tubs. After they fill the tubs with food, ammunition, and other items of value they can safely carry, they row toward

525-423: The uses of the natural world, and self-reliance. Wyss's attitude toward its education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau , and many chapters involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality , husbandry , acceptance , and cooperation . Wyss presents adventures as lessons in natural history and physical science . This resembles other educational books for young ones published about

SECTION 20

#1732791934098

550-615: Was a Swiss novelist and translator. She wrote in and translated to the French language. Montolieu penned a few original novels and over 100 volumes of translations. She wrote the first French translation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility ( Raison et Sensibilité, ou Les Deux Manières d'Aimer ) and Persuasion ( La Famille Elliot, ou L'Ancienne Inclination ). One of her translations to French, Johann David Wyss 's German-language The Swiss Family Robinson ( Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfans ),

575-475: Was adapted and expanded by her with original episodes more than once. Montolieu's French version is the literal source of still frequently reprinted English translations; for example William H. G. Kingston 's 1879 version, one of the most popular in English over the years, is actually a translation of Montolieu's French adaptation. Her first novel, Caroline de Lichtfield, ou Mémoires d'une Famille Prussienne ,

600-547: Was coined by the German writer Johann Gottfried Schnabel in the Preface of his 1731 work Die Insel Felsenburg  [ de ] ( The Island Stronghold ). It is often viewed as a subgenre of survivalist fiction . Common themes of Robinsonade works include the protagonists being in a state of isolation (e.g. on a desert island or an uninhabited planet ), a new beginning for the work's characters, self-reflection as

625-415: Was shipwrecked elsewhere on their island. The book covers more than ten years. William and the older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens at various sites about the island. Ultimately, the father wonders if they will ever see the rest of humanity again. Eventually, a British ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the island and is discovered by the family. The captain

#97902