Protagonist and Antagonist:-

The protagonist is frequently known as the hero of the story while the antagonist is the villain. The protagonist and the antagonist tend to be in conflict with one another. The protagonist is essential character in a story. This character is often referred to as the hero of the story. In many cases the story is told from this character's point of view so that the reader knows how the protagonist thinks and feels.

The antagonist is the opposing force or character who leaves the conflict against the protagonist. The antagonist works to offset whatever the protagonist does, that is good. Often the antagonist attempts to disguise himself or herself which usually builds suspense in a story. The antagonist does not have to be human. Instead it can be a force of nature such as a hurricane or tornado or even a complex problem or idea such as poverty or oppression.

The protagonist and antagonist are often complete opposite of one another. However, they can both be complex characters.

There are many classic examples of heroes and villains that fill these roles in fairy tales.

For example,

In Cinderella the Evil stepmother and stepsisters are very cruel to Cinderella. Cinderella is the protagonist while the stepmother and stepsisters are antagonists.

In Hansel and Gretel: There is a witch who resides in a home, made of gingerbread and candy. She uses the sweets to lure Hansel and Gretel into her home so that she can eat the children. Hansel and Gretel are the Protagonist and the witch is the Antagonist.

In The Wizard of Oz: The Wicked Witch of the West is constantly causing conflict for the main character Dorothy. Dorothy is the Protagonist of the tale and the witch is the Antagonist.

In Jack and the Beanstalk: A young boy named Jack climbs a magic Beanstalk into the sky and meets an angry giant. Jack is the Protagonist while the Giant is the Antagonist.

Take a moment to read this section from a story and try to identify a protagonist and an antagonist keep in mind the traits of each character: Molly has been up all night practicing words for the spelling bee. She was still so nervous even though she knew she was well prepared. When she bumped into Lindsay, however, she felt her stomach sink. “Oh, look,” Lindsay said, “there goes the worst speller in the whole school.” Lindsay pushed past Molly and continued down the hall. “See you after school, loser,” Lindsay said. Molly frowned but went right back to practicing.

Who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist in this paragraph?

Molly is the protagonist this section features her point of view as the reader here's. How she was up late and that she was nervous. it is also clear that she is the focus of the passage. The antagonist therefore is Lindsay. She is the opposing force to Molly and is clearly working to offset her. just seeing Lindsay makes Molly stomach sink. It is also clear that Lindsay is Molly's rival as both are competing in the spelling bee.

In review we trying to identify the Protagonist and Antagonist in a story. Think about which character is central to the plot. who is the central character in the Story this is the Protagonist. The character or force that is acting against the central character is the antagonist. The antagonist is the opposing force or character who leads the conflict against the protagonist. In most cases the good character is the protagonist and the bad character is the antagonist.

Allegory

What is an Allegory?

It's a literary term an allegory is actually the use of characters, events or ideas in a novel or literary text that are used to illustrate or show a larger concept something that's not directly said but it's implied rather now this larger concept that I just mentioned can relate to a number of different things for instance. These larger concepts can pertain to something political or it could be something religious, it could be historical or social. Either way whatever the larger concept is directly pertaining to the whole point of the allegory is that the author is using the text to provide his or her own commentary on the subject matter in other words. The author is investing and putting their own opinion into the literary text. Now in order to identify this you have to realize that the allegory is almost like a hidden message. It's the author's own hidden message that they want to get across in the novel. 

And as you read the book or whatever you're reading you'll eventually start to recognize subtle hints that will lead toward allegory or the true message that the author is trying to get across.  So once you reach the end you should have a better understanding of the allegory.

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

The novel titled Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe paints a realistic picture of the problems faced by the 17th century society. Narrating in the problems of Moll the problems that women faced during that period. Moll Flanders recounts the adventures of a lusty and strong-willed woman who is compelled from earliest childhood to make her own way in the 17th century England.

The plot is true in its vigorous style. The novel traces the fall and rise of a beautiful woman who was born in Newgate Prison. Because of her determination to be someone other than a servant she sought to marry a wealthy man. She married many times. Her fear of poverty led her to commit many criminal acts and she came to be known as the richest thief in London. Finally captured she was taken to Newgate Prison where she confessed her crimes to her spiritual advisor which helped her death sentence to be reduced to transportation to the American colonies, there she spent the rest of her life. In order to know more about this novel we need to know a little about the history during the Augustine Age.

English literature written during the rule of Queen Anne, George the first and second is referred to as the Augustine literature.

Neoclassical Age The Age Of Reason-

The term Augustine Age is born out of self-conscious imitation of writers contemporary to Augustus such as Homer, Virgil, Cisero and Horace by many writers of this age. 

It is for the same reason that this era in English literature is also referred to as the neoclassical age and the age of reason. English society at this time saw the emergence of powerful middle-class. The pre-eminence of the middle class made it an age of tolerance, moderation, refined manner and sweet reasonableness and common sense. This was an age of verbal skill. One of the key words for the entire period is wit. The upper-class courtiers as well as everyone with money we're supposed to be verbally skilled and comfortable with brilliant verbal repartee and clever talking. The wealthy sent their sons on the grand tour of Europe to acquire the wit, the daughters of the affluent homes were taught just enough French and Italian words to drop into their conversations, to make them appear sophisticated. The emphasis on looking right and acting right meant that this was an age of decorum. Great value was placed on Manners, on virtues like self-control and above all balance. 

One was not supposed to be outrageous, one was supposed to show control so literature takes a pedantic bent on this period meaning to show its readers how to think, to talk, to behave and to interact in the world. Writers viewed themselves as the shapers of good taste and took the responsibility very seriously. In novel writing this is an age of conversation. this epistolary form as a story told in a collection of letters. But it is also enhanced by self-reflection. This was an age when there was acceptability for self-publicizing. They saw this was not as a conceit but as self-awareness believing that self-examination was a requirement for the morally correct person. Hence the high interest in autobiography, biography, journals, Diaries, memories, publication of Diaries, collections of letters and other reflections on the self. 

Daniel Defoe-

Let us now move to the next segment of this lesson where we really need to know about the author that is Daniel Defoe. Along with Richardson, Dafoe is considered the founder of the English novel. Daniel Defoe was a prolific writer who could and would turn his hand to almost any topic. He produced some 200 works of nonfiction prose.

In addition, took 2,000 short essays in periodical publications several of which he also edited. He has been called as one of the greatest journalists and the father of journalism. To many of his contemporaries he was a man who sold his pen to the political party in office and so was lacking in integrity. He was not taken seriously by literary men though his skill at writing was acknowledged. Defoe was not a gentleman born or raised he was an outsider. Being a Puritan the son of a butcher and a suspected government spy. He changed his name from foe to Defoe and what a coach with his court of arms on its door with the aspiration of being a gentleman. Throughout his life Defoe wrote about commercial projects. But his own business ventures failed and left him with large debts. This burden shadowed the remainder of his life. Defoe was one of the first to write stories about believable characters in realistic situations using simple prose. He achieved literary immortality when in April 1719 he published Robinson Crusoe, a travelogue which was based on the memories of voyages castaways such as Alexander Selkirk who spent four years and four months on his Island. In the remaining years Defoe concentrated on books rather than pamphlets. And at the age of 62 he published Moll Flanders.

Defoe choice of the protagonist in Moll Flanders reflected his interest in the female experience. Moll is born in Newgate where her mother is under sentence of death for theft. Her sentence is commuted to transportation to Virginia. The abandoned child is educated by a gentlewoman. Moll suffers romantic disillusionment when she is ruined at the hands of a cynical male seducer. She becomes a woe and a thief but finally she against the status of a gentlewoman to the spoils of a successful colonial plantation. Defoe died of lethargy in the Year 1731 at Moorefield and was buried under the name of Mr. Dubow Cripplegate. He was deeply in debt and in hiding from a creditor.

The beginning of novel in England-

A novel is a long prose fiction with a plot, some characters and the plot coming to a logical conclusion through these characters. England is commonly viewed as the birthplace of modern novel. In England novel writing came into the forefront only in the late 17th and early 18th century because with the growth of the middle class by the middle of the 17th century not only could more people read but they also could spend money on literature.

The neoclassical novel can be divided in the following categories:

First the travelogues stories relating to the adventures of a Voyager or traveller through the unknown as in the case of Robinson Crusoe by Defoe and Gulliver's Travels by Swift.

The other is the epistolary novel in which the story develops and resolves itself through the means of letters and their replies as in Pamela by Richardson.

Lastly there is the Picaresque ‘The Adventures of a rogue hero’ who wanders from place to place and encounters many adversaries who are also lawbreakers as in Defoe’s Moll Flanders.

Structure-Moll Flanders

The structure of Moll Flanders is episodic rather than an organized plot where Moll is a female version of the Picaro. Whose adventures are summed up in the novel's full title the fortunes and misfortunes of the famous Moll Flanders who was born in Newgate and during a life of continued variety for threescore years. Besides her childhood was 12 years over, five times a wife, 12 years thief, eight years a transported felon in Virginia, at last grew rich lived honest and died a penitent. There was no fixed tenant about normal writing. And so in all neoclassical novels a contrast between taste and rules can be seen until fielding forged a theory of novel writing in his Joseph Andrews. Although Defoe was looked down upon by the intellectual establishment represented by Pope and Swift. Later developments in literary history have shown that it was he who would define the literature of a new age and not the so called Augustine's. As the novel remains the dominant literary form of the 20th century Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders are still widely read.

Picaresque Novel-Moll Flanders

We shall now discuss about the picaresque novel. the picaresque style in novel writing was conceived in Spain and was adopted by England. the Spanish word ‘Picaresca’ came from ‘Picaro’ which in English can mean rogue, adventurer, rapscallion. In a picaresque novel the story is told in a series of loosely connected Adventures of a rogue protagonist and adventures in a morally corrupt society. However unlike the idealistic night event hero. However the Picaro is a cynical and immoral rascal who if given a half a chance would rather live by his wits than by honourable work. Most Picaresque novels incorporate several defining characters like satire, comedy, social criticism.

The first characteristics of Picaresque novel is that it narrates the ups and downs of an adventurous life accompanied by some spectacular situation changes. It is usually written in first-person narration with an autobiographical ease of storytelling by a protagonist seeker on an episodic question for renewal or justice. Moll Flanders by Defoe recounts the adventures of a robust and a strong-willed woman who is compelled from earliest childhood to make her own way in the 17th century England.

The plot is true Picaresque style. the novel employs a first-person narrator recounting the adventures of a low-class adventurer who moves from place to place from one social environment to another an effort to survive. The novel is the chronicle of Moll’s full lifespan narrated by her in her seventeenth year with wonder and acceptance. In one sense moll is the product of a Puritan society turn to worldly zeal the ones dedicated servant of God turned to the worship of wealth, power, and success. Born to a criminal mother in Newgate Prison left with no resources but her needle she constantly seeks wealth or a wealthy husband to free herself from bondage of poverty and the temptations of crime. Nevertheless, the management of marriages the danger of thievery fascinates moll and when she finally becomes wealthy she cannot stop disguising herself for new crimes disdaining the humble trade of seamstress. When she finally settles into respectability it is with a gentleman not a merchant. Her husband is a rather pretentious somewhat sentimental highwayman who is not much good as a farmer but is a considerable sports man. Moll is the representative of a simple middle-class mercantile figure of the late 17th century.

Women in the 17^th century England-

We also need to know about the role of women and the problems that they face during the 17th century in England. Through this novel we get to see about the women and their problems. Moll Flanders paints a realistic picture of the 17th century society narrating in the problems of Moll those that the women faced in that society. Moll begins her life as the daughter of a transported convict without any system to protect them the children of convicts those days were thrown into the world with no prospects other than starvation or the same life of crime as their parents. Moll was very lucky to be taken in by the parish a 17th century law did not compel the parishes to take care of penniless children who were not born there. As a young girl Moll is forced to serve as a maid. maids were paired very little but they were fed sheltered and clothed. The fact that women were not able to support themselves legally always underlies moll decisions that she needs to get married. When she is widowed at 48 too old to hope to marry again she has no choice but to begin a life of crime. In the 17th century stealing was profitable because things were handmade and very expensive. Before the industrialization, production took an immense amount of labour and though labour was very cheap the amount which was required to make an object made theft very profitable. 

In the 17th and the 18th centuries prostitution was widespread and was the other occupation available to women. This was the result of a social system in which per women could not make an honest living and if they were seduced they were fallen women who had to be prostitutes. The punishments for theft and prostitution were very harsh. A thief could be transported or hanged for stealing a watch or a length of cloth. transportation to Virginia was considered a terrible punishment even though transported convicts could eventually hope to be freed and settled in their own land. In the 17th century pregnant prostitutes were chased from parish to parish since the authorities would not want to have to take charge of the unwanted infants. They could take refuge in houses like that of Molls governess who used to bribe the parish so they wouldn't bother her. And wanted children could be given to families to be taken care of along with a sum of money. However these children were often neglected and the rates of child mortality was very high. Perhaps because of the high rates of child mortality some mothers guarded against becoming too attached to their children. Other familial ties were also less strong. People married for money rather than for love.

Social class in the 17^th Century:-

We now move to the next segment of this lesson where we shall discuss the importance of social class in 17th century in England. Moll longs for upward mobility in a time and a place that won't allow it. 17th century England had strict rules about who you are and what you can do with your life. These rules help to explain Molls downward spiral into prostitution and thievery. She is trapped in a society into prostitution that gives her few options after all. In eighteenth-century England people were very conscious of their social positions and marriages between the wealthy and the poor were not common. Because she was born of the lower-class and social mobility was not easy to achieve in the 18th century. Moll desperately wanted to be a part of the upper-class. But despite her best efforts she did not succeed. Although she learned to dance and speak French as well as the other girls and was even better singer than the others as shown in the court. Moll simply wasn't one of them. Marriages of convenience were the norm.

A marriage of convenience is one in which each party is marrying for some reason other than love. Quite often it is to improve one's social status of financial gain. For Example, a young man who has a title but no money might marry a young lady with money but no title to upgrade his social position or increase his wealth. Therefore molls first lover and eldest son set to inherit his father's estate has an attitude towards marriage that was quite typical at that time as the sister notes for the market is against. And if a young woman have beauty, birth, breeding, wit, sense, manners, modesty and all these to an extreme yet if she have not money, ‘she's nobody’. Throughout her life moll married many different men in hopes of achieving her goal of upper-class status. But each of those marriages drastically failed leaving her to follow in her mother's footsteps as a thief. Though she acquired great amounts of wealth and material goods through stealing she was never anything more than a thief. Through all her misdeeds and struggles mall saves her money and that frugality pays off when she arrives in the new world with the full savings account. In the New World having money matters the most and people who work hard can improve their status no matter where they come from.

Summary of the novel- Moll Flanders

We now move to the next section of this lesson where we would know about the summary of the novel with special reference to childhood and marriages. Moll Flanders is the pseudonym of the heroine who does not wish to reveal her true identity. She was born in Newgate Prison to a mother who was transported to Virginia shortly after childbirth. Around the age of three she ran away from the gypsies with whom she had been living. A parish took her in and she was given to the care of a nurse who brought her up to the age of eight. Then she was allowed to remain with her nurse instead suing and spinning. Although she should have gone to service. When her nurse died Moll was 14 she joined the household of the mayor and learned the same lessons as the daughters of the house. The older son of the house seduced her. Then the younger one fell in love with her also and wanted to marry her. The older one convinced Moll to marry the younger one and she lived as his wife until his death a few years later.

Moll then married a gentleman Draper with fine manners. He was agreeable but spent her money and soon went bankrupt. He broke out of jail and left England forever. After a long time Moll married a gentleman from Virginia pretending to be richer than she was. He took her to Virginia where she met his mother who turned out to be Molls mother as well. This discovery made Moll leave her brother, husband and children after several years of marriage. Back in England she became acquainted with a modest gentle whose wife was insane. They lived as lovers for several more years until he fell gravely ill. After he recovered he repented and did not want to see moll anymore. Moll decided to go not since living was cheaper outside of London. But before going she took care of financial business by meeting a sober gentleman who agreed to take care of her money. He was on the lookout for a virtuous wife and decided to divorce his unfaithful wife and marry Moll when she turned from the North. Moll thought this would be a good idea if she didn't find anything better in Lancashire. The friend took Moll to meet someone she thought to be a wealthy Irish gentleman. He an agreeable and handsome man courted and married her. Then it turned out that he had married for her money and she had married him for his. They loved each other but decided that it was practical to apart.

To conclude a novel like Moll Flanders which enthusiastically recounts all kinds of misdeeds was in great danger of being condemned on moral grounds. If Defoe could reinvent it as a useful and edifying work he knew he could profit from it.

Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe | Analysis | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe was a blockbuster novel. The most famous and widely printed work of author Daniel Defoe. The timeless story of self-reliance and survival on a deserted island is older than America itself. And while the context of its time period remain dated and often problematic. Robinson Crusoe holds up as an innovative wildly popular critically acclaimed novel that remains influential and beloved today. Author Daniel Defoe was born in London on September 13th 1660. He studied to become a Presbyterian minister but abandoned the clergy to be a merchant. He declared bankruptcy in 1692 and became a political writer, journalist and pamphleteer to foes interests in religion politics and trade all came together seamlessly in Robinson Crusoe and Defoe is considered the father of the English novel.

Robinson Crusoe was the first novel written in English to use the prose narrative form. The original Desert Island narrative Robinson Crusoe saw many film adaptations and itself influenced many other films and television series including lost castaway, the Martian and Gilligan's Island. Now the story is based on the real-life adventures of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, a rebellious adventurer who willingly stranded himself on an island off the coast of Chile in the early 18th century shortly before the publication of Robinson Crusoe. The novel has a lasting literary legacy blending a unique prose style with survival narrative engaging easy to read language. A story of personal growth and Christian values. But it's also a troubling representation of colonialism and racism. And many of Robinson Crusoe's beliefs and actions are influenced by things like cultural domination. While he grows to care about others in relatable human ways he also has no calms with things taking slaves or killing natives when he sees they're holding a white man hostage as opposed to his originally thinking they were just brutalizing each other. Moments like these are glimpses into the contexts of the world Robinson Crusoe was written. At the onset of the novel narrator and titular protagonist Robinson Crusoe introduces himself and makes it clear he loves adventure at sea. Robinson Crusoe leaves home against his parents advice and Moroccan pirates take Crusoe into slavery. Crusoe escapes and travels to Brazil. a shipwreck strands Crusoe on an island and route to Africa and everyone else aboard is killed Crusoe lives alone on the island for 23 years. Crusoe rescues a native captive whom he names Friday and they battle against cannibals who inhabit the nearby and mainland.

During the action-packed climax. Crusoe helps an English captain whose crew has mutiny and returns to England. Crusoe learns he has made a fortune from his plantation he started back in Brazil. And he embarks on another voyage with Friday and a small crew. This time fighting wild animals in the mountains of France and even visiting his former beloved Island home seeing a community has sprouted up there.

Robinson Crusoe ends with the promise of further adventures. Setting up the two sequels that would follow. The novel's key symbols gun, tools, boats and crusoe island calendar post all speak to greater themes. self-reliance, civilization, progress, Christianity and nature.  It is the combination of innovative literary narrative and evocative symbolic lessons and virtues and contexts that have seen Robinson Crusoe withstand the test of time for far longer than the decades Crusoe himself spent on the island. The centuries of success can be attributed to a simple tale of adventure that combines many genres with excellent storytelling and the nearly countless translations and printings of the book as well as screen adaptations and other stories influenced by Robinson Crusoe make this the original English prose novel a true great of literature.

Robinson Crusoe | Plot Summary | Daniel Defoe

In the introduction we meet our title protagonist Robinson Crusoe himself. He's a man with a thirst for adventure close to his heart and he leaves home against his parents advice going on a number of sea adventures. At one point he begs for repentance hoping to make it home. but pretty quickly he's back to sea going on more adventures. During the rising action Moroccan pirates take Crusoe into slavery. with a little help from some other slaves Crusoe escapes and travels to Brazil where he becomes a plantation owner and is pretty successful. A shipwreck strands Crusoe on an island killing all the other crew. Crusoe lives alone on this island for 23 years. during that time he raises livestock, he grows crops he builds fortifications and he documents his experiences embracing Christianity. Crusoe rescues a captive whom he names Friday after the day of the week he saved him from his cannibal tribe. During the climax Crusoe and Friday help an English captain who's been the victim of a mutiny. They fight off the mutineers take the ships back and strand some of the prisoners on the island. Crusoe finally is ready to return to England and he does. and during the falling action Crusoe learns he has made a fortune from his plantation in Brazil. We see how his Christian values have grown and changed him during his time on the island and he gives away a great deal of his fortune. However, a thirst for adventure still remains close to his soul and he embarks on new adventures. During the resolution Crusoe embarks with a small crew on a new adventure in the mountains between Spain and France where he fights wolves and bears and we learned that he's married has children and that his wife sadly passes away. Crusoe is even able to return to his beloved Island to see that a new colony has sprouted up there. Robinson Crusoe ends on a Cliff hanger promising more adventures.

Robinson Crusoe | Themes | Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe is a story of adventure and the hero must rely upon his own wits and courage to survive. he demonstrates self-reliance and travelling building his plantation in Brazil and most of all surviving on the island. Robinson Crusoe's castle is built for both comfort and defense and he has few materials. But he manages to use what he does have ineffective creative ways. Civilization is another important theme. Rules and order govern Crusoe life even on the island. His concept is based on his experience with European culture and civilization. and he does not recognize that natives have civilizations of their own. He insists that Friday give up his cannibal ways wear clothing and learn to speak English. Crusoe never adopts any cultural habits of anyone else. The Spaniards do learn to speak the language of the natives. Crusoe does acknowledge that cannibalism is their culture. They do not see it as a sin.

Progress is another important theme Crusoe goes from survival in the wild to hunting and farming. He makes his own tools and furniture, domesticates animals, plants crops and establishes a small colony.

Christianity is another important theme. Robinson Crusoe relies on god to take care of him but he fears punishment for his past occasions. He finds his quality of life improves as his faith in God becomes stronger. This is his motivation and he begins to believe that God has placed him on earth for a reason. Initially he thinks that was because he survived multiple shipwrecks. God must therefore have some kind of purpose. Crusoe teaches his faith to Friday and soon he seems like a devoted Christian. Friday asks questions that Crusoe finds difficult to answer. In teaching Friday he becomes a more understanding Christian himself.

Nature is another important theme in Robinson Crusoe and one of the chief actors have been guiding the plot. Nature blows Crusoe’s ship onto the shores of the island but also provides calm seas so Crusoe can salvage from the wrecked ship. Nature provides all that Crusoe joys and fears on the island. Cnd Crusoe learns during the novel that nature can provide bounty of cultivated or destruction and not treated with caution. Crusoe discovers that even his most diligent work cannot overcome some of the forces of nature which he believes strongly is God's hand at work.

Robinson Crusoe | Symbols | Daniel Defoe

Gun-A gun represents Crusoe's power over the island and other people. He spends his first night on the island sleeping in a tree for fear of the ravenous beasts he supposed might roam the island. Later he discovers a footprint in the sand. He begins to live in fear, worrying that the natives will find him. After he learns beyond any doubt that the natives are cannibals he imagines exacting justice on them by killing them with a gun. In each of these circumstances the gun provides Crusoe with the power to survive and to control his environment. The gun is among the first items that he rescues from the ship on his first day on the island. Crusoe enjoys shocking and surprising people who have never seen a gun with its violence in its power. He even uses a gun to threaten and essentially indoctrinate Friday when he initially saves his life and he also used a gun to do that.

Tools- Tools are also imp symbols in Robinson Crusoe. Tools represent progress and Crusoe’s       ability to shape his world on the island. After clothing himself Crusoe his first objective was to find tools to survive he found the carpenter's chest which was more valuable than a ship load of gold would have been. Whether they work effectively or not the tools he makes become a badge of his self-sufficiency on the island.

Boats- Boats are important symbols in Robinson Crusoe. Ships and smaller boats are vehicles for progress. Crusoe uses them to escape to better places and from peril. They also represent freedom for Crusoe. From the onset of the story Crusoe loved sea travel and sailing adventures. Boats symbolize freedom also from his family and from confinement and slavery and even when he ultimately ends up on the island.

Another important symbol is the calendar post. Crusoe marks his days on the island with a post that he sets up on the beach. It represents his connection to time and civilization. And this is a practice that keeps him sane and grounded as he marks off the days and years he spends on the island. From the beginning of his time there it represents the flame of civilization itself Crusoe refuses to let go out.

Robinson Crusoe | Author Biography | Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe the author of Robinson Crusoe was born in London on September 13th 1660. As a young man he studied to become a Presbyterian minister. But he abandoned the clergy in favour of making his fortune as a merchant. Defoe travelled widely and enjoyed some success until declaring bankruptcy in 1692. His interest in politics led him to become a political writer but then he became a journalist and a pamphleteer. His first political pamphlet was published in 1683. Politics and religion were closely connected and he tackled these subjects fearlessly. on more than one occasion his writing landed him in jail. His political writings appeared in his journal the review published from 1704 to 1713. The reviews started as a weekly but eventually published three times a week. Defoe’s interests in religion, politics and trade come together seamlessly in Robinson Crusoe.

Themes appear in implicit and explicit ways. Defoe is considered the father of the English novel and Robinson Crusoe was the first novel written in English to use the prose narrative form. The boundaries between nonfiction and fiction were blurry here and Defoe draws on the conventions of travel literature memoirs and conversion narratives. Throughout Robinson Crusoe Defoe's character moves back and forth between narration and his own journal entries. The novel earned Defoe immediate and international fame and two sequels were published. But neither achieved the popularity of his first novel. Other works he published include Moll Flanders and a Journal of the Plague year both were published in 1722. Defoe married Mary toughly in 1684 and the couple had eight children two of whom died before adulthood. Defoe himself passed away in London on April 24th 1731. Film adaptations have been made of Robinson Crusoe and it also inspired many different film in television series including lost castaway the Martian and Gilligan's Island. Though it was published three centuries ago Robinson Crusoe remains a popular and beloved novel to this day.

St. Bede the Venerable

St. Bede the Venerable

May 27 the venerable St. Bede was born in northern England in the year 673. At the age of seven he was sent as an oblate to a nearby monastery in 686 the plague struck and only two surviving monks were able to sing the full office one was bead. Then about 13 years old when he was only 19 he was ordained a deacon by the Bishop of his diocese, he then became a priest at the age of 30. Saint bead was a gifted teacher and scholar. He was considered the most learned man of his time. One student of his became the teacher of Alka women the famous teacher in the time of Charlemagne he wrote over 60 books on a large variety of subjects. His most famous work is “the ecclesiastical history of the English people” He also helped to establish the practice of dating from the birth of Christ except for a few visits to other monasteries he spent his life in the observance of monastic discipline in his own monastery. Saint Bede died on Ascension Thursday in the year 735 on the floor of his cell singing the glory. Bede was called venerable because of his reputation for holiness and his cult became widespread in England and on the continent within a century. In 1899 Pope Leo the 13th declared him a doctor of the church he is the only native of England who has been given this title and he is also the only Englishman in Dante's Paradise in the same canto as Saint Isidore of Seville St. Bede Pray for Us.

Beowulf

Beowulf -:

             

Lets begin with the opening scene of the epic poem, Beowulf. “Listen up!” the narrator says as he gets ready to tell the story. “Often have we heard the tales of our famous heroes and their victories on the battlefield.” So the narrator is getting ready to tell yet another tale of a famous hero’s victory - and his defeat. Believe it or not, the language the narrator is speaking is English - at least, English as it was over a thousand years ago, when Beowulf was written.

So why do we still read a poem that’s over a thousand years old? That’s an excellent question. To help answer it, we are going to take a quick look at the historical context that brought us this incredible piece of literature; some of the factors that contributed to the preservation of this Anglo-Saxon language, also known as “Old English;” and five specific reasons that we still read Beowulf, including some character traits and terms to keep in mind while you’re reading. First, let’s set the stage with some background history. For centuries, the Roman Empire had ruled much of the world. But by the start of the 5th century, the Roman Empire had lost much of its power. Years of civil wars, political chaos, and successful invasions by Germanic tribes like the Visigoths and Vandals forced the Romans to abandon lands that were once under their control. The Roman retreat from the island of Britannia allowed several nomadic tribes from Denmark and northern Germany - the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles – to claim this land as their new home. By the 8th century, the new Anglo-Saxon culture formed by these tribes so dominated the island that it became known as “Angle-Lond” which would later become “England”.

When the first Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britannia, they brought with them their religious beliefs in Norse mythology, worshipping the gods Thor, Odin and Freya, among others. Evidence of these religious beliefs can still be found in the English names for the first six days of the week, which are all named after gods of Norse mythology. But the Nordic influence didn’t outlast the lingering Roman influence. The religion of the Roman Empire was Christianity, and due to the efforts of St. Patrick and other Christian missionaries, the Celts, who controlled nearby Ireland and parts of Scotland, were predominantly Christian.

As Anglo-Saxon culture spread across the island, marriage between the pagan immigrants and the Christian Celts became common. This intermingling, combined with the missionary work of St. Augustine of Canterbury, resulted in the rapid spread of Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons.

By the end of the 8th century, almost the entire island of Britannia was decidedly Christian. So why did the Anglo-Saxon language survive to become the English language that we know? After all, Germanic tribes like the Angles and the Saxons had always relied on oral tradition to pass along their stories. Scops, or tribal poets, created eloquent songs or poems to commemorate important battles or other events. These songs or poems would be performed and passed down from generation to generation. This meant that the scop held a very important place within Germanic tribal society. He was not only the main source of entertainment for the tribe, but also the musician, the teacher, the historian, and the cultural curator. But since the tales and histories of the scop were spoken or sung and never written down, these stories could be lost or forgotten. And this is exactly what happened to many ancient cultures that were once vibrant and flourishing. We know nothing of their languages today, and the stories and histories we have of them are recorded by other cultures. So what made the Anglo-Saxon language different? Well, we’ve mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons adopted the religion of the Romans; they were influenced by other aspects of Roman culture as well, including the value that the Romans placed on writing. Like the Greeks before them, the Romans were proud of their accomplishments and their culture. Men who could record their histories and their stories were held in high esteem. The works of Roman writers Ovid, Horace, Cicero, and Virgil are widely read even today. If not for this Roman influence, the Anglo-Saxon language would likely not have survived. There isn’t, of course, one single person who can be credited with the survival and preservation of the English language. But there are individuals who stand out in history as playing a major role. One of these is Alfred the Great, the first King of the Anglo-Saxons. Alfred gained fame for defeating a Viking invasion in 878 CE, and he remained king until his death in 899. During his reign, Alfred promoted education by requiring literacy of all men who held positions of authority, by establishing a court school where lessons were taught in English, and by writing and translating works into English himself.

Partly due to his influence and the value that he placed on education and writing in the common language, we have over 400 surviving manuscripts written in Anglo-Saxon, or Old English as we call it. One of these manuscripts, called the Nowell Codex, contains the earliest example of English poetry. That poem is Beowulf.

So, again, why do we read a poem that’s over a thousand years old? Well, besides the fact that it’s a really good story, there are other reasons. For now, we’ll focus on of five of them. 

1. Beowulf is the oldest epic poem written in English. It was written down, probably by monks, sometime between the 8th and 11th century. The fact that this is one of the earliest pieces of English literature is, all by itself, a really good reason to read it. 

2. Beowulf is the first epic hero in English literature, even though the character Beowulf isn’t English himself. Beowulf is special - he’s a literary icon. He also happens to be the first dragon-slayer in English literature. 

3. The poem Beowulf employs many of the literary devices that writers still use today. It contains some of the earliest English-language examples metaphor, irony, foreshadowing, understatement, alliteration, and more. 

4. Beowulf gives us a glimpse into Anglo-Saxon society in the Middle Ages. Beowulf is written in the common language of the Anglo-Saxon people. Although it was written in England, the story is set in Denmark and Sweden. Since the early Angles and Saxons passed stories down orally, as we saw earlier, the story is likely a great deal older than than the period in which it was written down. It gives us insight into the structure of society and everyday life, probably giving us a glimpse of a far older culture than even the written poem itself.  

5. Beowulf establishes the Hero’s Code of Values.

 In this epic poem, we can see many of the characteristics considered heroic in the Anglo-Saxon period, and we see many of these same values reflected in epic heroes down through literary history - and even today.

Following are ten terms and character traits that apply to this code of values and particularly to Beowulf. Keep them in mind as you are reading through the excerpts from the poem: Physical strength - in a place and time where living conditions are quite primitive compared to the modern world, physical strength is especially valued. A hero has great strength or abilities that seem almost god-like in many cases. Oratory skill - this means that the hero has the ability to speak eloquently Comitatus - this term refers to the bond of loyalty between Germanic rulers and their warriors. The warriors - or “thanes” in the Anglo-Saxon story - honor, respect, serve, and defend their ruler to the death; he in turn provides them with protection and a share of his wealth. It is a relationship of comradery and brotherhood, with a strong emphasis on loyalty and kinship. This is the step in English social structure that came before the medieval system of feudalism and the class system that dominated the social structure for centuries. Wyrd - this word means “fate” and is an indication of the belief that forces outside of his control determine the course of a man’s life. This notion that a hero’s life is guided by fate or destiny is a recurring one in Beowulf and in the stories of epic heroes throughout English literature as well as in other cultures. Our modern word “weird” comes from this word. Confidence - the hero is self-assured of his ability to win if fate so decrees it. Justice/vengeance - Heroes seek justice and, in the Anglo-Saxon culture, believe in vengeance as a form of it. Which leads us to the idea of…. Wergild - a term that refers to making payment for taking someone’s life; if you killed someone, you could pay a wergild to make restitution for the death. This idea emphasizes fairness and taking ownership for one’s actions; in a social structure with a strong belief in vengeance as a form of justice, it also provides a means to put a stop to revenge killings that can go back and forth, and on and on for generations. Pursuit of glory - For a hero, there is no compromise with fear: a warrior doesn’t back down or turn away from danger, and he doesn’t allows evil to go unchallenged; he will do what is right, brave, and heroic, regardless of the danger to himself, even if it costs him his life - and because of this, he is looked up to by others as almost god-like. This is the glory that the hero seeks.

When you’re considering this, also remember that the story of Beowulf was written down about 1200 years ago, but it is told about a time even earlier - when, as we saw before, stories and events were passed down by word of mouth. If someone was going to be remembered, he would need to do something worth telling stories about - something that would bring glory enough that he would be remembered for generations to come. Lineage - this term refers to a person’s family line, his ancestors and descendants. A hero fights and gains glory not only for himself, but for those who went before him and for those who will come after. He is bringing honor to his family name.

In the poem Beowulf, lineage is important; Beowulf is descended from a brave warrior, while the monster Grendel is of a “fatherless race” and referred to as a descendent of Cain, a “kin-killer,” the son of Adam and Eve who kills his own brother in the Biblical account. This contrast underscores how important the idea of lineage and family loyalty is to the Anglo-Saxons. Respect for enemies - the hero faces his enemies with the acknowledgement that the enemy goes into battle with courage also; the hero respects the enemy’s strength and abilities, and acknowledges that fate will choose between the two opponents. “May the best man win.”

Thank you and look forward to see you in next class.