Reader discussion: Robinson Crusoe

Public reader discussion about Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

[Spoilers] Robinson Crusoe vs. The Mysterious Island

By ivorywren

They both kind of run the same storyline, but one of them just worked way better for me. I read them back to back (started with The Mysterious Island) and couldn’t stop noticing how similar they were, but I actually enjoyed The Mysterious Island a lot more. Robinson Crusoe had me bored for most of it. In both books, the person is stuck on an island and has to figure out how to survive using whatever’s there. Even the main characters end up with someone serving them, which makes the comparison feel even closer. I’m wondering if I liked The Mysterious Island more because the characters land with basically nothing, so it’s more interesting to watch them discover and build things up. In Robinson Crusoe, he already has so much stuff come from the shipwreck, so it didn’t feel as exciting. Also, Robinson was on the island a long time, but it didn’t seem like he was doing much to actually get off. The castaways in The Mysterious Island feel like they’re always trying to find a way home, and that made the plot move more for me. Curious what other people think about how similar they are—and what differences you think might’ve made one more enjoyable.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe [Unknown](2020)

By JuliaReads

The “Literary Knowledge” collection seems like it would let you get pretty much everything you’d want to know about Robinson Crusoe by Defoe, since it comes with a full, detailed study guide. It’s written in a clear, easy way and seems to be put together by an academic professor. They also mention it follows certain quality standards from a group of teachers, which is nice. Inside you get Defoe’s biography, a rundown of the novel, a chapter-by-chapter summary, why it was successful, the main themes, and even some stuff about the author’s literary movement.

What is that special ingredient that makes certain adventure novels so beloved?

By motionGoose

Treasure Island, Count of Monte Cristo, Captain Blood, Robinson Crusoe… all that kind of stuff. I keep wondering what the real “make it a classic” ingredient is. Like, is it different depending on the book, or are there a couple universal qualities that adventure stories have that make them stick around? Obviously you need the usual good stuff—characters that work, a story that keeps moving, decent writing. And yeah, stakes/peril and a solid villain help too, but it’s not like those are unique to the classics. So what else is there? Something people don’t really talk about. Is it the era they came out in, or marketing, or that hard-to-explain magic vibe that just makes you care? I don’t know, but I’m curious what these ones have that other adventure novels don’t.

An illustrated book that contained the adventures of Robinson Crusoe and 3 other famous character(one among them was probably Robinhood) in great detail.

By AcarusBrisk

Hey everyone—this is my first time posting. I read this book when I was in 6th or 7th grade, but it didn’t feel like a kids book. It had adventures like Robinson Crusoe and Robin Hood, plus two other stories I can’t quite remember. One of them was about medieval English castles and those battering ram days, and the other might’ve been about something aboriginal, but I’m really not sure. What I remember most is how much it went into details—like super specific drawings and diagrams, and maps for basically everything. There were things about the animals Crusoe kept, even diagrams of his cave, different knots, tools and instruments he made, diagrams of animal homes, and then for the castle stuff there were plans and siege engine diagrams too, even slingshots and bows. It was a hardcover, and the cover was kind of creamy white. This book honestly stayed with me even back then. Can someone help me figure out what it was? Sorry if my English is kinda bad.

Had a hard time reading Moll Flanders

By PlainShadowSeal3

I’ve read a bit of Robinson Crusoe and it honestly felt a lot easier than Moll Flanders, even though they’re both by the same author. Not sure why, but I’d get stuck on stretches with basically no dialogue. If I lost focus for even a second and then got to the next paragraph, it felt like something would’ve happened off-screen that I hadn’t actually read. It makes me feel like you really have to go word for word, otherwise you’ll miss key stuff, because there are times where the writer says something important happened but there’s no dialogue or anything to guide you through it. So far the plot seems okay, but yeah… it definitely takes more mental effort than I expected.

TIL the full title of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is 65 words long

By oceanlost

This is kind of how I used to pad word count in school essays—just without even meaning to.

What do you think are the greatest adventures ever told?

By AcarusBrisk

I’m not sure—what do you think about it?