illustration of a man standing on an island and looking out at the ocean with the title Robison Crusoe written in the sky

Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

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How does Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe apply to formal realism?

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Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe exemplifies formal realism through its detailed portrayal of Crusoe's experiences and the use of a first-person narrative that mimics a diary or autobiography. This approach enhances believability and relatability, despite the extraordinary plot elements. Realistic settings and natural imagery further ground the story in authenticity. However, its realism is problematic due to reliance on contemporary stereotypes, reflecting the early 18th-century context in which it was written.

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Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe applies to formal realism due to the relatability of Crusoe's story and the details of Crusoe's experiences.

As the name suggests, formal realism is a way to identify how truthful the novel is to human experience. Even if a novel features some rather extraordinary plot points, it can still tether itself to a relatable human condition.

Defore arguably applies formal realism with the first-person narrator. Crusoe narrates his story, which might make it more believable since it can make it sound like a journal or diary entry. Crusoe's narrative is also detailed. He provides specifics about his thoughts and what's happening to him, which helps readers relate to his adventures. He often demonstrates a realistic conscience, like when he thinks about how to escape the cannibals and writes, "The thoughts of shedding human blood for my deliverance were very terrible to me, and such as...

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I could by no means reconcile myself to for a great while."

The above quotation also shows how time and place relate to formal realism. If Crusoe had stayed in York, it wouldn't be realistic for him to become enslaved or confront "men-eaters." By placing himself at sea, Crusoe opens himself up to an array of predicaments that acquire verisimilitude due to their distance from his sedate "station of life" in England.

Finally, formal realism applies problematically to Crusoe's novel. The book was published in the early 1700s, and its authenticity centers in part upon how many readers believed racist stereotypes about non-Western people, or, as Crusoe sometimes calls them, "savages."

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Apply formal realism to Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

Formal realism refers to a novel's attempt to provide an authentic report of human actions and experience. It became popular with the rise of the novel in the early eighteenth century, and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is an excellent example of this type of realism. Let's look at some of the reasons for this.

We might first point to the strong attention to detail in this novel. We hear all about Crusoe's journey and attempts to survive on the island from his own perspective. This gives us a sense of the realism of his adventure. He is writing his own autobiography and trying to present his full tale in all its horror, interest, and triumph. The inclusion of real place names and technical descriptions contributes to this as well. So does Crusoe's journal, which is presented as a "real" document that gives an immediacy to this already immediate narrative.

We might also note how the setting contributes to the realism. Look, for instance, at the abundance of natural imagery in the novel. The author paints a true-to-life portrait of the places Crusoe sees and experiences. He wants to give readers a sense that they have "been there" themselves, if only in their imaginations.

The plot, too, is realistic even though there are exciting elements. Nothing out of the natural way of the world happens to Crusoe throughout his daring adventures. He remains firmly grounded in reality.

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