The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe was first published on April 25 1719 during the age of exploration and enlightenment. The world was actively explored mapped settled and reported back to various European ports and capitals. Readers in the 1700s considered long distance travel perhaps in the same way we regard space travel today - an exotic privileged accessible to a few well trained professions. The average reader of the period barely travelled a more than a few miles from their homes. Stories of far away places exotic cultures and fanciful creatures were all the rage at that time. Defoe however did not rely on these motifs in order to craft an engaging story that has persisted beyond its 18th century companions. Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe was first published on April 25 1719 during the age of exploration and enlightenment. The world was actively explored mapped settled and reported back to various European ports and capitals. Readers in the 1700s considered long distance travel perhaps in the same way we regard space travel today - an exotic privileged accessible to a few well trained professions. The average reader of the period barely travelled a more than a few miles from their homes. Stories of far away places exotic cultures and fanciful creatures were all the rage at that time. Defoe however did not rely on these motifs in order to craft an engaging story that has persisted beyond its 18th century companions.