Configurations of Friday’s Body in the 1750s Robinsonade

The English Robinsonade as a form thrived in the 1750s, but in a variant that revealed affinities not only with Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe but also Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and the imaginary voyage more broadly. A central position in this micro-tradition was occupied by Robert Paltoc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNordic journal of English studies : NJES Vol. 23; no. S1; pp. 9 - 28
Main Author Lipski, Jakub
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Umeå University and Nordic Association of English Studies 10.04.2024
Subjects
castaways
Fridays
hybridity
the Body
the Imaginary voyage
the Robinsonade
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The English Robinsonade as a form thrived in the 1750s, but in a variant that revealed affinities not only with Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe but also Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and the imaginary voyage more broadly. A central position in this micro-tradition was occupied by Robert Paltock’s Peter Wilkins (1751), the popularity of which resulted in several fictions written in its wake, including Ralph Morris’s John Daniel (1751), William Bingfield by an anonymous author (1753), and Adolphus Bannac’s Crusoe Richard Davis (1756). These narratives explored both the Robinsonade conventions and aspects of the poetics of wonder to offer a variety of ‘Friday’ configurations, from hybrid animals to winged or feathered women. This article reads the aesthetic and ideological meanings behind these ‘strange surprizing’ character constructs.
ISSN:1654-6970
1502-7694
1654-6970
DOI:10.35360/njes.2024.23281