Robinson Crusoe

     When I first strolled into Barnes & Noble at Kierland Commons this summer I was not entirely sure what I was book I was going to select to read for the upcoming school year. I merely had a short list of books, all familiar titles, and yet I knew nothing of the stories that were inside. I proceeded to the "Classics"of the bookstore and as I was scanning the paperbacks Robinson Crusoe caught my eye mostly because I have heard the name before somewhere. When I picked up the novel up I flipped it over to the back cover like any curious reader to find a summary involving the survival of a man on an island for 20 years and cannibals. Needless to say, Robinson Crusoe sounded like an interesting story so logically, I made it my choice for summer reading. After reading I came to the conclusion that the story's greatest strength is that the plot of the story is very intriguing if viewed after finishing the book; however, the greatest weakness of the story is that it makes a captivating plot less interesting because of the rather dry language.
     Upon reflection after finishing the story of Robinson Crusoe, one can conclude that the story itself is a remarkable one with many interesting plot points. He is marooned on an island and somehow manages to survive by making pottery, growing crops, hearding livestock, and even building a house. All of this including is including a deadly encounter with cannibals and a rescue of his companion/servant Friday. All of these plot points direct one to feel that Robinson Crusoe is a well thought out and alluring.
     Although the plot is undoubtedly appealing, the actual story telling is somewhat diminished by Defoe's use of speech. For instance, if one looks at the scene near the beginning of the book where Robinson is experiencing his first storm on the boat, one will see that the description of the storm is somewhat lackluster when he says "all this while the storm encreas’d, and the sea, which I had never been upon before, went very high, tho’ nothing like what I have seen many times since.… I expected every wave would have swallowed us up…and in this agony of mind I made many vows and resolutions." In this quote, Robinson is not very descriptive with his word choice. This passage has the possibility of being full of action with crashing waves and a plethora of different emotions. Instead, he uses very simple and concise language which one could argue does not give the scene its appropriate portrayal.
    Robinson Crusoe is definitely one of the classics because it is considered to be the first English novel. The great strength of this story is that the plot of the novel is extremely strong as well as fascinating. However the weakness is that the plot is not illustrated to its fullest extent with Defoe's
dry and rather undescriptive writing style.
    

5 Books

1. The Da Vinci Code - Even though its a little bit of a beach novel I still found it very entertaining and I found the historical research behind it to be very impressive.

2. The Catcher in the Rye - I enjoyed this novel because it was very relatable to the american teenager. It basically symbolized teenage angst

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - This is also a series of novel that do not have a wealth of academic value, but it still kept me captivated for 7 books, 8 movies, and most of my childhood.

4. And Then There Were None - This was a book I literally could not put down because I was so caught up in the plot and finding out who the killer was. I feel like this book is one of the best murder mystery novels out there

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - I really enjoyed this book because on the exterior it makes me feel nostalgic about the playfulness and carelessness of my childhood. But also the novel is mentally stimulating if you go beneath the childish shell and find a wealth of symbolism illustrating the major issues of the pre-civil war period down south.

Excellent Story Telling

"As I had once done thus in my breaking away from my Parents, so I could not be content now, but I must go and leave the happy View I had of being a rich and thriving Man in my new Plantation only to pursue a rash and immoderate Desire of rising faster than the Nature of Thing admitted; and thus I cast my self down again into the deepest Gulph of human Misery that ever Man fell into, or perhaps could be consistent with Life and a State of Health in the World"

This passage is from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe which is generally regarded as the very first English novel. Published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe uses a rather unorthodox style of language that was associated with England during said time period. Nevertheless, the story telling is still that of a high quality novel. In this quote he illustrates his feelings towards leaving his parents and his promising future for a seeming perilous nautical journey that eventually ends with him being marooned on a deserted island. What makes this passage a prime example of story telling is that it describes Crusoe's emotions toward his decision graphically employing the reader to empathize with his feelings.