DANIEL DEFOE

Daniel Defoe's birth and background

Born in 1660 to Dissenters who refused Church of England authority.

Defoe's education

Studied at Newington Green academy, learning modern languages, economics, and geography.

Defoe's early business career

Worked as an apprentice and in business, suffering two bankruptcies.

The Review

A Whig periodical published by Defoe three times a week from 1704 to 1713.

Defoe's arrest under Queen Anne

Arrested for his critical political attitude and publicly placed in the pillory.

Defoe's role as a secret agent

Denied his Whig ideas after imprisonment to work as a secret agent.

Defoe's shift to novel writing

Began writing highly successful novels around the age of 60.

Robinson Crusoe (1719)

Defoe's first novel, published in 1719.

Captain Singleton (1720)

A 1720 novel about the voyage of a captain who becomes a pirate.

Moll Flanders (1722)

A novel about the adventures of a woman born in Newgate prison.

Colonel Jack (1722)

The story of a pickpocket who repents and leads a prosperous life.

Roxana (1724)

A novel about a high-society woman exploiting her beauty for personal gain.

Daniel Defoe's death

Died in 1731, pursued by old creditors throughout his later life.

Defoe's literary title

Generally regarded as the father of the English novel.

Narrative technique of Defoe's novels

Fictional autobiographies pretending to be true stories with authentic prefaces.

Structure of Defoe's novels

A series of episodes held together by a single hero, lacking a coherent plot.

Defoe's narrative style

Retrospective first-person narration matching the main character's point of view.

Presentation of Defoe's characters

Presented from the inside and through actions, usually appearing in isolation.