鲁滨逊漂流记中的殖民主义.docx

鲁滨逊漂流记中的殖民主义.docx

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鲁滨逊漂流记中的殖民主义

An Analysis of ColonialCulture in Robinson Crusoe and Its Reflection in Reality

I.Introduction

TheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,amasterpieceofDanielDefoe,isapioneeringEnglishadventurefiction.ItmainlytellsusastoryoftheheroRobinsonCrusoe’sadventureontheseaespeciallyonadesertedislandallalone.Afterafewsailsonthesea,hejoinsanexpeditiontobringslavesfromAfrica,butheisshipwreckedinastormaboutfortymilesouttoseaonadesertedisland.RobinsonCrusoestrugglesagainsthardship,privation,loneliness,andcannibalsinhisattempttosurviveonthedesertedisland.FinallyhesucceedsinreturningtohishometownEnglandandbecomesrichintheend.

Butaccordingtothecriticisms,TheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoeisatypicalcolonialliterature.AsFangMinwroteinhisthesisOnTheColonialbehaviorsinTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,ifweanalyzeTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoeunderthepost-colonialism,wecouldfindthatthefictionreflectsthecolonialcultureinsomeways（Fang,2010）.ByexploringthecolonialcultureinTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,wecanknowthethoughtsofpeopleinthatperiodandtheformsofearlycolonialismandcolonialism.

Inthisthesis,theauthorwouldliketoleadthereaderstotakeabrieflookatofthecolonialisminTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,theinfluenceofthecolonialismonpeopletodayandthereflectionofcolonialthoughtstoday.

Theauthorwillwriteitinthefollowingfiveparts.

Firstofall,theauthorwillgiveabriefintroductionofTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe,boththefictionandtheauthorDanielDefoe.

Second,theauthorwillgiveabriefintroductionofcolonialismandcolonialisminTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoeandhowitisshowedinthefiction.

Third,theauthorwilllistandanalyzethereflectionofcolonialismtoday.

Fourth,theauthorwillhaveabrieflookatoftheinfluenceofcolonialismbothinthehistoryandatpresent.

Fifth,theauthorwillcometoaconclusionthatwecanknowalittleofcolonialisminTheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoebyDanielDefoe.

II.BriefIntroductionoftheAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe

RobinsonCrusoeisanovelwrittenbyDanielDefoeandwasfirstpublishedin1719.Thebookisafictionalautobiographyofthetitlecharacter—acastawaywhospends28yearsonaremotetropicalislandnearVenezuela,encounteringNativeAmericans,captivesandmutineersbeforebeingrescued.HestruggledontheislandaloneandfinallywasrescuedandwentbacktoEngland.

2.1BriefIntroductionofDanielDefoe

DanielDefoe（ca.1659-1661–24April1731）,bornDanielFoe,wasanEnglishwriter,journalist,andpamphleteer,whogainedfameforhisnovelRobinsonCrusoe.Defoeisnotableforbeingoneoftheearliestproponentsofthenovel,ashehelpedtopopularizetheforminBritainandisamongthefoundersoftheEnglishnovel.Asaprolificandversatilewriter,hewrotemorethan500books,pamphletsandjournalsonvarioustopics（includingpolitics,crime,religion,marriage,psychologyandthesupernatural）.

HereisabriefintroductionofDanielDefoe’slifeandthemotivationofwritingRobinsonCrusoe

Defoe’sfatherwasaCitytradesmanandmemberoftheButchers’Company.JamesFoe'sstubbornPuritanism–TheFoeswereDissenters,ProtestantswhodidnotbelongtotheAnglicanChurch–occasionallycomesthroughDefoe'swriting.HestudiedatCharlesMorton'sAcademy,London.AlthoughhisNonconformistfatherintendedhimfortheministry,Defoeplungedintopoliticsandtrade,travellingextensivelyinEurope.Throughouthislife,Defoealsowroteaboutmercantileprojects,buthisbusinessventuresfailedandlefthimwithlargedebts.Butallhisexperiencegavehimthelifematerialtocompletehisworks,includinghismasterpieceRobinsonCrusoe.

Defoewasoneofthefirsttowritestoriesaboutbelievablecharactersinrealisticsituationsusingsimpleprose.HeachievedliteraryimmortalityinApril1719whenhepublishedRobinsonCrusoe,atravelogue,whichwasbasedpartlyonthememoirsofvoyagersandcastaways,suchasAlexanderSelkirk,whospentonhisislandfouryearsandfourmonths.

WilliamSelkirkwasthesonofaScottishtanner,whobecamethemasteroftheCinquePortsGalley,aprivateeringship.Selkirkwenttoseain1704underWilliamDampierandwasputashoreathisownrequest（oraccordingtosomesourcesasapunishmentofinsubordination）ontheislandofJuanFernandezinthePacific,hundredsofmilesoffthecoastofChile.Theislandwasuninhabited,andhesurvivedthereuntilhisrescuein1709byCaptainWoodsRogers.Selkirkclaimedlaterpositivelythattheexperiencehadmadehima"betterChristian".Asajournalist,Defoemusthaveheardhisstoryandpossiblyinterviewedhim.

Theaccountofashipwreckedsailorwasacommentbothonthehumanneedforcivilizedsocietyandtheequallypowerfulnecessityforindividualfreedom.Butitalsoofferedadreamofbuildingaprivatekingdom,aself-madeUtopia,andbeingcompletelyself-sufficient,withoutanypolitical,socialorreligiousconstraints.SoitbecamefamousamongEnglishandtheEurope.

2.2BriefIntroductionofRobinsonCrusoe

AlthoughcommonlyreferredtoassimplyRobinsonCrusoe,thebook’scomplete,originaltitleasitappearsonthetitlepageofthefirsteditionisTheLifeandStrangeSurprisingAdventuresofRobinsonCrusoe.

PictorialmapofCrusoe'sisland,called"IslandofDespair,"showsmanyincidents.

Crusoe（thefamilynamecorruptedfromtheGermanname"Kreutznaer"or"Kreutznär"）setsailonaseavoyageinAugust1651,againstthewishesofhisparents,whowanthimtostayathomeandpursueacareer,possiblyinlaw.Afteratumultuousjourneythatsawhisshipwreckedinastorm,hislustforthesearemainedsostrongthathesetouttoseaagain.ThejourneyendedindisasterastheshipwastakenoverbySalépiratesandCrusoebecametheslaveofaMoor.Aftertwoyearsofslavery,hemanagedtoescapeinaboatwithaboynamedXury;later,CrusoewasrescuedandbefriendedbytheCaptainofaPortugueseshipoffthewestcoastofAfrica.TheshipwenttoBrazil.There,withthehelpofthecaptain,Crusoebecametheownerofaplantation.

Yearslater,hejoinedanexpeditiontobringslavesfromAfricabuthewasshipwreckedinastormaboutfortymilesouttoseaonanisland（whichhecalledtheIslandofDespair）nearthemouthoftheOrinocoriveronSeptember30,1659.Survivingalonewiththreeanimals,hestruggledtosurviveandfeedhimself.Hehadlivedonthedesertedislandalonefortwenty-eightyearsbeforehediscoverednatives.

Yearslater,hediscoverednativecannibalswhooccasionallyvisitedtheislandtokillandeatprisoners.Atfirstheplanedtokillthemforcommittinganabominationbutlaterrealizedthathehadnorighttodosoasthecannibalsdidnotknowinglycommitacrime.Hedreamedofobtainingoneortwoservantsbyfreeingsomeprisoners.Whentheycameagaintokillandeattheprisoners,aprisonermanagedtoescape;Crusoehelpedhimandfreedhimfrombeingeaten.ThenCrusoenamedhisnewcompanion"Friday"afterthedayoftheweekheappeared.CrusoethentaughthimEnglishandconvertedhimtoChristianity.

Afteranotherpartyofnativesarrivedtopartakeinacannibalfeast,CrusoeandFridaymanagedtokillmostofthenativesandsavedtwooftheprisoners.OnewasFriday'sfatherandtheotherwasaSpaniard,whoinformedCrusoethattherewereotherSpaniardsshipwreckedonthemainland.AplanwasdevisedwhereintheSpaniardwouldreturnwithFriday’sfathertothemainlandandbroughtbacktheothers,builtashipandsailedtoaSpanishport.

BeforetheSpaniardsreturned,anEnglishshipappeared;mutineershadtakencontroloftheshipandintendedtomaroontheirformercaptainontheisland.Crusoeandtheship'scaptainstrokeadealinwhichhehelpedthecaptainandtheloyalsailorsretooktheshipfromthemutineers,whereupontheyintendedtoleavetheworstofthemutineersontheisland.BeforetheyleftforEngland,Crusoeshowedtheformermutineershowhelivedontheislandandstatesthattherewouldbemoremencoming.CrusoelefttheislandonDecember19,1686andarrivedinEnglandonJune11,1687.Helearnedthathisfamilybelievedhimdeadandtherewasnothinginhisfather'swillforhim.CrusoedepartedforLisbontoreclaimtheprofitsofhisestateinBrazil,whichhadgrantedhimalargeamountofwealth.Inconclusion,hetookhiswealthoverlandtoEnglandtoavoidtravelingatsea.FridaycamewithhimandalongthewaytheyenduredonelastadventuretogetherastheyfoughtoffhundredsoffamishedwolveswhilecrossingthePyrenees.

III.Colonialism in Robinson Crusoe

AsnovelistJamesJoycenotedthatthetruesymboloftheBritishconquestisRobinsonCrusoe:

"HeisthetrueprototypeoftheBritishcolonist.…ThewholeAnglo-SaxonspiritisinCrusoe:

themanlyindependence,theunconsciouscruelty,thepersistence,theslowyetefficientintelligence,thesexualapathy,thecalculatingtaciturnity."

3.1BriefIntroductionofColonialism

3.1.1DefinitionofColonialism

Whatiscolonialism?

Itreferstoakindofinvasionpolicythatagreaterpowertakessomemilitary,politicalandeconomicmeasurestooccupy,collocateandexploitotherweakandlittlecountries,nationalitiesanddistrictswhicharefallingbehindothercountriessothattheycanmakethemcoloniesorsemi-colonies.

3.1.2BriefIntroductionofDifferentFormsofColonialism

AsChenLanwroteinthethesisRobinsonCrusoeandPost-colonialism,“EuropeancolonialismbeganwhenColombiafoundAmericancontinentin1492.Traditionally,peopleseeColombiaasanationalh