Daniel Defoe

a cura di D.P. Madrigali 
 
 Robinson Crusoe, considered to be the first English novel, is the story of a young and rich Englishman with two passions in life: the sea and adventure. But after several voyages and adventures all over the world, a shipwreck takes him, the only survivor, onto a desert island. Here he lives for 28 years, writing a diary in which he narrates all his experiences.
 In his last years there he meets a native, Friday, who becomes Robinson’s faithful servant. Eventually, he manages to return to England where he finds out that he has become rich thanks to his Brazilian plantation.
 The book presents in-depth analyses on the origin and development of the novel, journalism and the rise of the middle class. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Considerato il capostipite del romanzo moderno, Robinson Crusoe è la storia di un giovane e ricco inglese attratto da due grandi amori: il mare e l’avventura. Tuttavia, dopo una serie di viaggi in diverse parti del mondo, un naufragio lo porta ad essere l’unico sopravvissuto su un’isola deserta. Qui vivrà 28 anni, scrivendo un diario in cui racconta tutte le sue avventure. Ritornerà in Inghilterra scoprendo di essere diventato ricco grazie alla sua piantagione brasiliana.

Chapter 1 – Robinson at sea

Extension: The origin of the novel

Chapter 2 – Shipwreck

Extension: Slavery

Chapter 3 – On a desert island

Extension: The middle class

Chapter 4 – Life on the island

Extension: Journalism

Chapter 5 – Other human beings

Extension: The rise of the novel

Chapter 6 – Back home

Extension: Robinson Crusoe at the cinema

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N THE ORIGIN OF THE NOVEL Robinson Crusoe is based on a true story about a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk. In 1695, when he was 19 years old, he went to sea with a pirate expedition to the Pacific Ocean. He did not return to England because he had a bad discussion with the captain and Selkirk stopped on the island of Mas a Tierra in the Juan Fernandez Islands not far from the coast of Chile. No one lived on the island. He stayed there for four and a half years until February 1709. After two years of raids1 on the coast of Peru and Chile, he returned to London with a considerable fortune. He met the essayist2 Richard Steele who wrote and published his story with the title  The Englishman . Selkirk returned to sea and died near the coast of Africa in 1721. There are some differences between Robinson and Selkirk. Robinson stayed on his island for twenty-eight years; the islands were different; Robinson had a shipwreck3 and Selkirk wanted to stop on Mas a Tierra; Selkirk lived alone while Robinson found companions. Another inspiration was the experience of a castaway4 surgeon5 whose name was Henry Pitman. He was an employee6 of the Duke of Monmouth. Pitman escaped from a Caribbean penal colony7. He was there because he played a part in Monmouth s Rebellion and was marooned8 on a desert island. When he returned to England, he probably met Defoe and told him of his experiences. 1. raids: short sudden attacks. 2. essayist: a person who writes short pieces of writings (essays) on a particular subject. 3. shipwreck: an accident in which a ship is destroyed during a voyage. 4. castaway: a person whose ship has sunk. 5. surgeon: a doctor who operates. 6. employee: a person who is paid to work for someone. 7. penal colony: a type of prison, which is often in a place far away from other people. 8. marooned: left in a place from which you cannot escape. Juan Fernandez Islands. 

2  Shipwreck Chapter BEFORE READING 1 Make Predictions. What do you think will happen? Answer these questions. a. Will Robinson arrive in Brazil? ..................................................................................................................................................... b. Will he continue to travel around the world? ..................................................................................................................................................... c. Will he go back to England and follow his father s advice? ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 The weather is very important in Robinson s voyages. Look at the pictures and match them to the right word. 1. stormy   2. sunny   3. windy ...... 3 ...... ...... The following pictures refer to Chapter 2. Match them to their nouns. ...... 1. raft ...... 2. oar 3. pistol ...... 4. hawk 5. hammer ...... ...... 6. sword 7. axe ...... ...... 17 

Robinson Crusoe, capostipite del romanzo moderno, racconta le avventure di un naufrago su un'isola deserta per 28 anni, tra mare, diario e ricchezze.

Robinson Crusoe Collana RAINBOWS

Level A2 • Elementary - Collana RAINBOWS

Robinson Crusoe

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