Daniel Defoe: why the famous writer was chained to the pillory. Biography of Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe years of life and death

Biography

Born into the family of a Presbyterian meat merchant, he trained to become a pastor, but was forced to abandon his church career. After graduating from Newington Academy, where he studied Greek and Latin and classical literature, he became a clerk at a wholesale hosiery merchant. On trade matters he often visited Spain and France, where he became acquainted with the life of Europe and improved his skills in languages.

Subsequently, he himself was at one time the owner of a hosiery production and then first the manager and then the owner of a large brick and tile factory, but he went bankrupt. In general, Defoe was an entrepreneur-businessman with an adventurous streak - a type common in that era. He was also one of the most active politicians of his time. A talented publicist, pamphleteer and publisher, he, without officially holding any government position, at one time exercised great influence on the king and the government.

Journalism

Defoe began his literary career with political pamphlets (anonymous) and newspaper articles. He proved himself to be a talented satirist and publicist. He wrote on various political topics. In one of his works - “Experience of Projects” - he proposes to improve communications, open banks, savings banks for the poor and insurance societies. The significance of his projects was enormous, considering that at that time almost nothing he proposed existed. The functions of banks were performed by moneylenders and jewelers-money changers. The Bank of England, one of the centers of world financial capital at the present time, had just opened at that time.

Defoe gained especially wide popularity since the appearance of his pamphlet “The True Englishman.” Eighty thousand copies were sold semi-legally on the streets of London within a few days. The appearance of this pamphlet was due to attacks by the aristocracy against King William III, who defended the interests of the bourgeoisie. The aristocrats attacked the king in particular because he was not an Englishman, but a foreigner who did not even speak English well. Defoe spoke in his defense and, not so much defending the king as attacking the aristocracy, argued that the ancient aristocratic families trace their origins to the Norman pirates, and the new ones - from the French footmen, hairdressers and tutors who poured into England during the Stuart restoration. After the publication of this pamphlet, Daniel Defoe became close friends with the king and provided enormous services to the English bourgeoisie in obtaining trade privileges and securing them by acts of parliament. A true son of his turbulent century, Defoe more than once experienced the vicissitudes of fate: he embarked on risky adventures, went bankrupt, got rich, went bankrupt again and made capital again. He tried the professions of a merchant, sailor, journalist, spy, politician, and at the age of 59 he became a writer.

The bourgeoisie fought against the aristocracy on all fronts, in particular in the field of religion. And Defoe came out with a malicious pamphlet entitled “The shortest way to deal with dissidents.” Aristocrats and fanatical clergy took this satire seriously, and the advice to deal with dissidents by gallows was considered a revelation equal to the Bible. But when it became clear that Defoe had brought the arguments of the supporters of the ruling church to the point of absurdity and thereby completely discredited them, the church and the aristocracy considered themselves scandalized, achieved Defoe’s arrest and trial, by which he was sentenced to seven years in prison, a fine and three times pillory.

This medieval method of punishment was especially painful, since it gave the right to street onlookers and voluntary lackeys of the clergy and aristocracy to mock the convicted person. But the bourgeoisie turned out to be so strong that it managed to turn this punishment into a triumph for its ideologist: Defoe was showered with flowers. On the day of standing in the pillory, Defoe, who was in prison, managed to print “Hymn to the Pillory.” In it, he trashes the aristocracy and explains why he was put to shame. The crowd sang this pamphlet in the streets and squares while Defoe's sentence was carried out.

"Robinson Crusoe"

First edition

Defoe turned to artistic creativity late. In the fifty-eighth year of his life he wrote his Robinson Crusoe. Despite this, the literary legacy left by him is enormous. Along with journalism, there are over 250 works by Defoe. Currently, his numerous works are known only to a narrow circle of specialists, but Robinson Crusoe, read both in major European centers and in the most remote corners of the globe, continues to be reprinted in a huge number of copies. Occasionally, Captain Singleton is also republished in England.

"Robinson Crusoe" is the brightest example of the so-called adventurous sea genre, the first manifestations of which can be found in English literature of the 16th century. The development of this genre, which reached its maturity in the 18th century, was determined by the development of English merchant capitalism.

Some “Travels” were written in the form of a diary, others in the form of a report or memo, others had a narrative form, but were not distinguished by consistency of presentation. The “diary” was interrupted by a narration; a diary was included in the narrations, depending on the requirements for accuracy of transmission. If special accuracy was required in conveying a conversation with a person, the conversation was recorded in the form of a dramatic dialogue; if an accurate transmission of the sequence of a series of events was required, they were recorded in the form of a diary, divided into hours and minutes; if it was necessary to describe something in less detail, they resorted to narration.

But maximum accuracy has always prevailed in this kind of work. However, even before the appearance of Robinson Crusoe, the documentary genre of travel showed a tendency to move into the artistic genre. In Robinson Crusoe this process of changing the genre through the accumulation of elements of fiction was completed. But Defoe uses the style of the Travels. Its features, which had a certain practical significance, become a literary device in Robinson Crusoe: Defoe’s language is also simple, precise, and protocol. Specific techniques of artistic writing, the so-called poetic figures and tropes, are completely alien to him.

In “Travel” one cannot find, for example, “an endless sea”, but only an exact indication of longitude and latitude in degrees and minutes; the sun does not rise in some “apricot fog”, but at 6:37 am; the wind does not “caress” the sails, it is not “light-winged”, but blows from the northeast; they are not compared, for example, in whiteness and firmness with the breasts of young women, but are described, as in textbooks of nautical schools. The reader's impression of the complete reality of Robinson's adventures is due to this style of writing. Defoe also interrupts the narrative form with a dramatic dialogue (Crusoe's conversation with Friday and the sailor Atkins), Defoe introduces into the fabric of the novel a diary and an office book entry, where good is recorded in debit, evil in credit, and the remainder is still a solid asset.

In his descriptions, Defoe is always precise to the smallest detail. We learn that Crusoe makes a board for a shelf in 42 days, a boat in 154 days, the reader moves with him step by step in his work and, as it were, overcomes difficulties and suffers failures with him. Crusoe suffers many failures.

The bourgeois did not close his eyes to the fact that in the world of struggle not everything goes smoothly. In the struggle with nature and people, he overcame obstacles, did not complain or grumble about failures. The world is good, but the world is disorganized, there is mismanagement everywhere. No matter where on the globe Crusoe finds himself, everywhere he looks at his surroundings through the eyes of the owner, the organizer. In this work, with the same calmness and tenacity, he tars the ship and pours hot brew on the savages, breeds barley and rice, drowns extra kittens and destroys cannibals who threaten his cause. All this is done as part of normal daily work. Crusoe is not cruel, he is humane and fair in the world of purely bourgeois justice.

The first part of Robinson Crusoe was sold in several editions at once. Defoe captivated readers with the simplicity of his descriptions of real travel and the richness of his fiction. But Robinson Crusoe never enjoyed wide popularity among the aristocracy. The children of the aristocracy were not brought up on this book. But Crusoe, with its idea of ​​the rebirth of man through work, has always been a favorite book of the bourgeoisie, and entire educational systems are built on this Erziehungsroman. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his “Emile,” also recommends “Robinson Crusoe” as the only work on which youth should be brought up.

Bourgeois writers eagerly imitated Robinson Crusoe. From the vast literature of “Robinsonades,” one can note Kampe’s “New Robinson” (), in which an element of individualism is developed: Robinson found himself on an island without any supplies or tools and had to start everything with his bare hands. “Swiss Robinson” by Wyss is focused on collectivism: Robinson found himself on an island with four sons, different in character and individual inclinations. In the first "Robinson" the problem of the development of productive forces is posed, in the second - the development of social forms, of course from the point of view of the bourgeoisie.

In the rest of the alterations, the center is Robinson's life on the island, viewed from different points of view. “Robinsonade” took on a different character from the so-called successors of Defoe. The most prominent are T. Smollett and F. Marryat. They sharply showed a bias towards maritime romance and the preaching of great-power British imperialism, due to the subsequent stage of development of the English bourgeoisie, its strengthening in the colonies, and the achievement of world power.

The influence of Defoe's novel on European literature is not limited to the Robinsonade it generated. It is both wider and deeper. With his work, Defoe introduced the subsequently extremely popular motif of simplification, the loneliness of man in the lap of nature, the beneficial nature of communication with it for his moral improvement. This motif was developed by Rousseau and varied many times by his followers (Bernardin de Saint Pierre and others).

The technique of the Western European novel also owes a lot to Robinson. Defoe's art of depicting characters, his inventiveness expressed in the use of new situations - all this was a great achievement. With his philosophical and other digressions, skillfully intertwined with the main presentation, Defoe raised the significance of the novel among readers, turned it from a book for entertaining pastime into a source of important ideas, into an engine of spiritual development. This technique was widely used in the 18th century.

It is characteristic that Defoe's contemporary - Swift - became known in Russia from the middle of the 18th century, and the works of Byron and W. Scott were read almost simultaneously in England and Russia. But since the appearance in Russia of not only the aristocratic reader, Robinson has not ceased to be translated and published in different volumes.

See also

Bibliography

• The True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal, ;
• Robinson Crusoe, ;
• Captain Singleton, ;
• Moll Flanders, ;
• Colonel Jack, ;
• Journal of the Plague Year, ;
• A Tour through Great Britain, - ;
• A New Voyage round the World, ;
• The Complete English Tradesman (apology for profit), -;
• The Political History of the Devil, ;
• System of Magic, ;
• Essay on the Reality of Apparitions, . Ed. D.: Scott, ; Hazlitt, 1840; Bohn, - - ; Aitken, 16 vv, ;
• G. H. Moynadier, 16 vv. ;
• Boston, Constable's sumptuous reprints, - ;
• "Abbey Classics" series. Translations and publications in Russia: Robinson Crusoe, in two parts, trans. from French, St. Petersburg, ;
• Robinson Crusoe, in two volumes. 200 drawings by Granville, engraved on stone and printed in two tones, new translation. from French, M., ;
• Robinson Crusoe, trans. P. Konchalovsky, M., ;
• translation M. Shishmareva and Z. Zhuravskaya, St. Petersburg, ;
• translation L. Murakhina, ed. Sytina, M., ed. 4th and many more etc.
• The Joys and Sorrows of the Famous Moll Flanders, trans. P. Konchalovsky, “Russian wealth”, ЇЇ 1-4, dep. ed., M., with art. V. Lesevich, G. Gettner, Ten, P. S. Kogan, V. M. Fritsche;
• Universal history of literature, ed. Korsh and Kirpichnikov;
• Kamensky A. Daniel Defoe, his life and work, St. Petersburg, (in the biographical series of Pavlenkov);
• Zalshupin A., English. publicist of the 17th century, “The Observer”, Ї 6;
• Lesevich V., Daniel Defoe as a person, writer and public figure, “Russk. wealth", ЇЇ 5, 7, 8;
• His, Regarding “Mall Flanders” by D. Defoe, “Russian. wealth", Ї 1;
• Alferov A. et al., “Ten readings on literature”, M., ed. 2nd, M., . Biographies of D. (English): Chambers, ; Lee, ; Morley H., ; Wright, ; Whitten, 1900.
• Lamb, Hazlitt, Forster, Leslie Stephen, Minto, Masefield, W. P. Trent (Cambridge History of English Literature). In French language: Dottin, 3 vv., . In German. language: Horten F., Studien über die Sprache Defoe’s, Bonn, ;
• Schmidt R., Der Volkswille als realer Faktor des Verfassungslebens und D. Defoe, ;
• Dibelius, Der englische Roman. In English language: Secord A. W., Studies in the narrative method of Defoe, . Research in the field of text - Lannert G. L., . About the sources of "Robinson Crusoe": Nicholson W., ; Lucius L. Hubbard, ;
• Lloyd's Catalog of edition of Robinson Crusoe and other books by and ref. to Defoe, L., .

About him

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Daniel Fo was born around 1660 near London into the family of a wealthy merchant. He added the aristocratic prefix “De” to his surname much later. His parents wanted to see Daniel as a pastor, so the lively and inquisitive boy graduated from school and then seminary. But Defoe suddenly became involved in entrepreneurship.

He was the owner of a hosiery factory, a tile production plant, and got involved in many other commercial adventures. According to Daniel's own words, he became rich and went broke 12 times. On business, Defoe traveled almost all of Europe and learned several foreign languages. He successfully married a girl with a rich dowry, who bore him 8 children.

From 1701, Defoe's sharp political pamphlets began to appear and quickly gain popularity. From 1704 to 1713 he edited the popular newspaper Review. Defoe introduced a lot of new things into journalism, in particular, he used the genre of interviews and crime chronicles. And his economic and political articles were written at a high professional level.

In 1705, after a large-scale commercial adventure, Defoe finally went bankrupt and went to prison, from where he was rescued by minister Robert Harley. The high-ranking official was impressed by Daniel's project on organizing an intelligence service. Defoe was asked to head this service. Daniel then not only led the intelligence network, but also often took part in the operations himself.

At the age of 58, Defoe left the political arena and devoted himself entirely to literary activity. His first novel, The Life and Wonderful Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, was a phenomenal success. Defoe wrote two sequels to Robinson Crusoe, as well as several other novels. But none of them became so popular.

The prototype of Robinson was the sailor Alexander Selkirk, who lived on a desert island for four years. This work reliably depicts the interaction of man with nature, the formation of character under the influence of external circumstances. Using the example of his heroes, Defoe shows that a person is capable of overcoming any natural forces through hard work, subjugating them to himself, enriching and multiplying, and not destroying.

Robinson is distinguished by courage, willpower and great hard work. The best human qualities in the novel are represented by the aborigine Friday. He has a great influence on Robinson, changing his worldview and making him treat people with more kindness and understanding.

The French educator Jean-Jacques Rousseau paid special attention to the educational significance of Robinson Crusoe and recommended it for compulsory reading for teenagers. By the end of the 18th century, this novel had been translated into major European languages ​​and went through countless editions. "Robinson Crusoe" gave rise to many adaptations and imitations, creating a special cycle of Robinsonades.

A feature of Defoe's artistic works is his belief in the enormous capabilities of man. His novels are written in simple and clear language, with virtually no landscape scenes, and the narrative is always told from the perspective of the main character. Thanks to this technique, Defoe's novels are perceived by readers as genuine adventures of real people.

In the novel “The Joys and Sorrows of Moll Flanders,” Defoe traces all the ups and downs of a woman under the influence of social conditions. Moll is forced to take the criminal path. The author reliably depicts how the character of the main character changes, shows her transformation into a famous thief, and tracks all the circumstances that lead to the woman’s downfall. And the heroine of another novel, “The Happy Courtesan, or Roxana,” is pushed onto the path of vice not by poverty, but by a passion for luxury.

Realistic sketches of the heroes of the criminal society are also depicted in the novels “The Story of Colonel Jack” and “The Life, Adventures and Pirate Exploits of the Illustrious Captain Singleton.” Defoe raises the problem of a fair and reasonable social system, in which such strong-willed, extraordinary individuals do not become pirates and robbers, but benefit the state.

Born either 1660 or 1661. From an early age, the boy was fond of reading, and preferred books telling about historical events or fantastic adventures. This causes serious concern for his mother, but gives his father, who works as a butcher, hope for a great future for his son. At the age of twelve, Daniel is sent to school, which he graduates at sixteen, and then, at the insistence of his father, he enters the office of a wealthy merchant. He conscientiously fulfills his duties, but a career in trading does not interest him.

A few years later, Daniel becomes interested in journalism and begins writing articles on political topics. In his youth, at the age of twenty, Daniel had the imprudence to join the army of the Duke of Monamut, who rebelled against Jacob Stuart, and after the brutal suppression of the uprising he was forced to hide from persecution. He managed to return to literary activity only when William of Orange ascended the throne. With his satirical poem “The True Englishmen,” Defoe defended William from the attacks of the people over the fact that a foreigner had ascended the throne. After the accession of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts, to the throne in 1702, Daniel Defoe wrote a satirical pamphlet, “The Surest Means of Getting Rid of Dissenters,” for which he was recognized as a rebel and sentenced not only to a fine, but also to imprisonment, as well as being exposed to pillory. However, the people strew flowers on the path to the pillory for their idol...

Two years later, freed from prison, Daniel shows himself brilliantly in the role of a diplomat during negotiations with Scotland. But, after the House of Hanover came to power, Daniel writes a poisonous article, for which he is again sentenced to a fine and imprisonment. This forces him to forever give up the idea of ​​a political career. Freed from prison, Daniel publishes his famous Robinson Crusoe. This takes place in 1719. The novel is based on the true story of a Scottish sailor named Alexander Selkirk, who lived alone on a desert island for 4 years and 4 months, and only then was picked up by a passing ship.

“Robinson Crusoe” is gaining amazing popularity all over the world, and Defoe continues the genre beloved by readers in several more works: “Colonel Jack”, “The Political History of the Devil”, “A Voyage Around the World”, “The Sea Robber”. Alas, more than 200 books and brochures written and enormous success among his contemporaries did not bring Daniel wealth: until the end of his days he lived in poverty. Writer Daniel Defoe died on April 24, 1731 in London. they say that on his tombstone there was a laconic inscription: “Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe.”

Daniel Defoe is a famous English writer and publicist. He is the author of the famous adventure novel “Robinson Crusoe”.

It is interesting that Daniel Defoe is considered one of the founders of the novel genre. Over the years, Defoe managed to write more than 500 books on a variety of topics.

In addition, he advocated freedom of speech and religion, and also became one of the founders of economic journalism.

So, in front of you short biography of Daniel Defoe.

Biography of Daniel Defoe

The exact date of birth of Daniel Defoe is unknown. He is believed to have been born in 1660 in the Cripplegate area of ​​London.

The writer's real name is Daniel Fo. The boy grew up in the devout family of meat merchant James Forne.

Childhood and youth

Daniel Defoe's childhood passed in a religious atmosphere, as his parents were Presbyterians who professed the teachings of John Calvin.

In this regard, when Defoe was 14 years old, he was sent to study at the Theological Academy. The parents dreamed that their son would become a pastor in the future. After graduating from the academy, Daniel continued his studies at the Protestant Academy in Stoke Newington.

The young man was quite inquisitive and had an interest in many things. He managed to master Greek and Latin, as well as read a lot of classical literature.

Contrary to his parents' expectations, after finishing his studies, Defoe did not aspire to become a pastor. Instead, he became interested in commercial activities.

The first job in the biography of the future writer was a hosiery factory, where he worked as a clerk and was also responsible for the finances of the enterprise.

Feeling confident in his abilities, he wanted to open his own factory.

As a result, in the mid-1680s, Daniel Defoe launched the production of hosiery products and successfully managed the entire process.

Having become a fairly wealthy man, he began trading wine, tobacco and building materials.

During this period of his biography, he managed to visit different European countries and see with his own eyes how different people live.

After this, he began to thoroughly engage in political and religious issues that had worried him since his youth.

Creative biography of Defoe

The first work in Defoe’s biography was called “An Essay on Projects,” written by him in 1697. By the way, the outstanding American figure really liked this book.

After this, he composed the poem “The Thoroughbred Englishman,” which addressed political and social issues.

The writer was an adherent of liberal and revolutionary ideas, thanks to which he soon had many like-minded people.

Soon, from the pen of Daniel Defoe, a new work, “The Shortest Retribution with Dissenters,” was published, in which he ridiculed the current government.

Defoe's biographers would later call this work “the event of the century,” since it caused a real stir in society.

The officials were so outraged at being portrayed in a foolish light that they decided to arrest him. Defoe was sentenced to pillory and also fined a large sum of money.

An interesting fact is that earlier, when a person was tied to the pillory, anyone could mock him as his heart desired.

However, instead, Daniel Defoe was showered with flowers and sympathized with him in every possible way. Thus he became a national hero.

Soon the writer found himself in a difficult financial situation. He fell into a lot of debt, which resulted in him being asked to work for the British government.

Defoe became an English spy in Scotland. Later, all his debts were paid off, and his family was allocated a substantial amount of money from the royal treasury.

At the same time, Defoe continued to write various works.

An interesting fact is that the novel “Robinson Crusoe” was largely based on real events.

After Daniel Defoe heard a lot of praise addressed to him, he composed a continuation of the story. He wrote two books in which the hero wandered around Mongolia.

However, these works were already much less popular than the first part of Robinson Crusoe.

During the period of biography 1720-1724. Daniel Defoe wrote 4 books: “Memoirs of a Cavalier”, “Diary of the Plague Year”, “The Happy Courtesan, or Roxana” and “The Joys and Sorrows of the Famous Moll Flanders”.

In his writings, Defoe loved to describe various historical events. His heroes constantly found themselves in some risky situations, from which they managed to emerge triumphantly.

Personal life

In 1684, Daniel Defoe met Mary Tuffley, whom he immediately began courting. Soon he proposed to the girl, to which she agreed.

In this marriage they had 8 children. It is worth noting that Mary had a rich dowry, but soon all her funds were lost due to bankruptcy. As a result, they incurred a lot of debt.

The Defoe family lived in one of the most criminal areas of London.

An interesting fact is that Daniel himself went out only on Sundays, since on these days it was forbidden to arrest debtors.

Death

In the last years of his life, Daniel Defoe was in dire need of money. In this regard, he decided to deceive his publisher and go on the run.

Defoe abandoned his family and began to change his place of residence frequently.

Over time, the publisher finally found his debtor and wanted to kill him with a sword, but the 70-year-old writer managed to knock the weapon out of his hands.

After that, he continued to wander around different cities, constantly fearing for his life.

The great writer died in one of the rented apartments in an unknown area of ​​London. He was never able to say goodbye to his wife and children.

The news of Defoe's death did not arouse much interest in the press. Moreover, many newspaper obituaries were filled with sarcasm.

After the funeral, the writer's grave quickly became overgrown with grass. Only 100 years later, a monument will be erected at the site of his burial with the words: “In memory of the author of Robinson Crusoe.”

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