And now for somethng we hope you'll really like

Robinson Crusoe is definitely one of those reads where you really can't help but have preconceived notions about it going in. I've mentioned some of them before, actually, and they certainly shaped my read of this book (I as so thrilled that there were earthquakes!). I suppose that I should appreciate this book for what it did for the English novel (say, start it), but all things considered, I found it rather hard to appreciate this book at all.

First, it really reminded me of the types of stories I would create as a child. These were stories that were largely lists and inventories. I wasn't happy unless I had listed out exactly everything a family owned in their house on the prairie, or I had listed out what the young heroines were able to salvage from the shipwreck for their island life, or I had listed out exactly what food the company was going to eat on what days during their quest. Notice a pattern? This is probably why I loved Oregon Trail so much. The first step was always creating that massive inventory of stuff! Which is fine for a retro computer game, and sort of okay for the stores of an eleven year old, but it gets pretty old to read pretty quickly, and good gracious, that was really the extent of the novel in many ways. I am not kidding.

Of course, one could also discuss many of the lovely themes of the novel, such as colonialism and racism. Or, if you are feeling particularly daring, perhaps you would like to tackle some of the scintillating discussion questions helpfully included in the back of the Modern Library edition that I read, such as, "How does what we now call the Protestant work ethic pervade Defoe's novel? Robinson seems to channel all of his energy into the pursuit of manual labor, the story is a series of daily routines and a tribute to work. . . Is his newfound work ethic accompanied by a spiritual awakening? (I'll give you a hint, the answer starts with a Y). I love that they call that section of the book "Reading Group Guide." Are there really book clubs out there reading Robinson Crusoe? Really?

Anyway, for fun, here is a tour of my childhood: