Robinson Crusoe: Canons, Contexts, Critiques - Einzelansicht

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April 2019 sees the 300-year anniversary of the publication of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (full title, almost a novel itself: The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates). This seminar takes this opportunity to (re-)read the novel, to contemplate its canonical status (and to think about what makes a canon), to consider the context of its publication (and the contexts of our own readings), as well as to address and discuss various critiques of the text (including fictional, audio-visual and other artistic engagements). We will engage in discussions shaped by theories from Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies and the Environmental Humanities.

Students are required to have access to the Norton Critical Edition of Robinson Crusoe (second edition, ISBN: 978-0393964523), and will be asked to read/watch two other novels, some audio-visual materials, as well as critical essays throughout the semester. It is recommended that students begin reading Robinson Crusoe prior to the beginning of semester.