Summary: Preface
An unnamed editor explains his reasons for offering us
the narrative we are about to read. He does not mention the name
or story of Robinson Crusoe explicitly but, rather, describes the
narrative as a “private man’s adventures in the world” and focuses
on its realism when he calls it a “just history of fact.” He claims
it is modest and serious, and that it has an instructive value,
teaching us to honor “the wisdom of Providence.” Thus, the editor
asserts he is doing a great service to the world in publishing Crusoe’s
tale.
Summary: Chapter I — I Go to Sea
I was born in the year 1632,
in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country,
my father being a foreigner. . . .
(See Important Quotations Explained)
A man named Robinson Crusoe records his own life story,
beginning with his birth in 1632 in the English
city of York. Crusoe’s father was a German, originally named Kreutznaer.
Crusoe is the youngest of three brothers, the eldest being a soldier
and the second one having vanished mysteriously. As the youngest
son in the family, Crusoe is expected to inherit little, and, as
a result, his father encourages him to take up the law. But Crusoe’s
inclination is to go to sea. His family strongly opposes this idea,
and his father gives him a stern lecture on the value of accepting
a middle station in life. Crusoe resolves to follow his father’s
advice. But when one of his friends embarks for London, Crusoe succumbs
to temptation and boards the ship on September 1, 1651.
A storm develops. Near Yarmouth the weather is so bad that Crusoe
fears for his life and prays to God for deliverance. The ship nearly
founders, but all are saved. Crusoe sees this ordeal as a sign of
fate that he should give up sea travel, and his friend’s father
warns him against setting foot on a ship again, echoing his own
father’s warning.
Summary: Chapter II — I Am Captured by Pirates
Crusoe parts with his friend and proceeds to London by
land, where he meets a sea captain who proposes that Crusoe accompany
him on an upcoming merchant voyage. Writing to his family for investment money,
Crusoe sets off with forty pounds worth of trinkets and toys to
sell abroad. Crusoe makes a net income of 300 pounds
from this trip, and considers it a great success. Taking one hundred
pounds with him, and leaving the remaining 200 pounds
with a widow whom he trusts, Crusoe sets off on another merchant
expedition. This time he is pursued by Moorish pirates off the coast
of Sallee in North Africa. His ship is overtaken, and Crusoe is
enslaved, the only Briton among his Moorish master’s slaves. Crusoe
is assigned the task of fishing because of his natural skill. One
day the slaves’ fishing vessel gets lost in fog, and the master
installs a compass on board. The master also stores some gunpowder
on board in preparation for a shooting party, but the guests do
not come. Crusoe waits.
Summary: Chapter III — I Escape from the
Sallee Rover
Robinson sets off on a fishing expedition with two other
slaves, a man named Ismael and a boy named Xury. Sneaking up behind Ismael,
Robinson pushes him into the water. Ismael swims alongside the boat
and begs to be taken in. Crusoe pulls a gun on him and tells him
to return to shore or else be killed. Crusoe then asks Xury whether
he will accompany him and serve him faithfully, and Xury agrees.
By evening, Crusoe calculates they have sailed 150 miles south
of Sallee. They see wild creatures onshore that Crusoe recognizes
as lions. Crusoe shoots one dead, and he and Xury skin it. They
proceed southward toward what Crusoe believes are the Cape Verde
or Canary Islands. They see naked black people onshore, and they
fear them until the natives offer them food. When the Africans witness
Crusoe shooting a leopard, they are impressed, and they offer the
skin to Crusoe. Unsure where to head, Crusoe is surprised by a European
ship in the distance. The ship picks up Xury and Crusoe, and its
kind Portuguese captain offers to take them to Brazil. The captain
buys Crusoe’s boat as well as Xury.
Analysis: Preface & Chapters I–III
These chapters introduce us to Crusoe’s particular style
of narration, which revolutionized the English novel: he speaks
openly and intimately, with none of the grandiose rhetorical effects
notable in earlier ages of English literary history. In telling
us frankly how much profit he makes from his first merchant venture,
and in acknowledging his inner struggle about obeying his father
or following his desire to go to sea, Crusoe addresses us as if
we are his close and trusted friends. He is also an exceedingly
practical and fact-oriented narrator, as the editor emphasizes in
calling the narration a “just history of fact.” Crusoe is fixated
on precise details, telling us the exact day he set off on his voyage
and the number of miles south of Sallee he is. His feelings are
less fully narrated, though he does relate his anguish at disobeying
his father. Crusoe also shows his basic kindness and humanity in
sparing the life of Ismael, though it is clear that this act is
a minor detail for him. His focus on facts, actions, and details
helps mark the beginning of the novelistic form in English literature.
Crusoe’s narrative is not just an adventure story about
storms and pirates, but also what in religious literature is called
an exemplary tale: a tale told for purposes of
moral and religious instruction. In the Preface, the editor explicitly
tells us that this novel will teach us to honor “the wisdom of Providence.”
We are meant to learn something spiritually useful when reading
this story. Crusoe underscores this spiritual aspect by focusing
on his wickedness in disobeying his father’s orders, and the punishments
that come upon him for doing so. In Chapter II he refers to the
“evil influence which carried me first away from my father’s house,”
and the word “evil” is important: this choice is not just a foolish
decision, but one made with a morally wicked influence. Moreover,
the evil curiously makes Crusoe its passive victim, introducing
another central aspect of Robinson’s story—his own passivity. Crusoe’s
place as the rebellious younger son in the family, resembling the
Prodigal Son in the Bible, enhances the religious side of Crusoe’s
story.
