ENGLISH 45B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: New Aesthetic, Animal Husbandry, Homo Economicus
Document Summary
First canonical work that is still popular, became a children"s book (like gulliver"s travel) Primal european man left alone and have to decide what constitute necessary resources for a live-able world. Claims, like oroonoko, not fictional makes truth or history claims. Robinson crusoe"s island is in southern caribbean set in same imaginary region as oroonoko (northeastern coast of south america) Rogers a cruising voyage" is what crusoe"s story refers to, both refer to a melancholy depression except robinson never plays he"s always working. Fantasy of being alone, being cast entirely upon resources, torn away from civilization and its support systems analogous to mary rowlandson"s situation but also crucial differences. Myth of solitary outcast myth of colonization way island becomes in a literal sense a plantation with a labor force attached to it. Motif of spiritual connections that rescues them from a life of sin (both rowlandson and crusoe)
