On the attribution of novels to Daniel Defoe

• Published in: Philological quarterly Vol. 89; no. 2-3; pp. 243 - 253
• Main Authors: Furbank, P.N, Owens, W.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iowa City University of Iowa 22.03.2010; University of Iowa, Philological Quarterly
• Subjects: British & Irish literature; Criticism and interpretation; Defoe, Daniel; Defoe, Daniel (1660-1731); English literature; French language; Novelists; Novels; Spanish language; Writers; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 0031-7977; 2169-5342

The arguments used by Defoe to support his South Sea Scheme in these works are that, given the projected colony's access both to the Pacific and the Atlantic, it would open up great opportunities for maritime trade; that the climate in this part of Chile would be perfectly suited to British settlers, as would the grassy plains of Patagonia; that the Chileans hated their Spanish (and French) masters; and that the Andes abounded in gold, which the Spanish were too proud and slothful to exploit properly. The novel gives full value to the four central arguments used by Defoe in his known writings about the scheme: the vast opportunities it offered for trade (131); the suitability of the climate for British colonists (190, 225-26, 258); the hatred of the Chileans for their Spanish masters (152); and the incapacity of the Spaniards to exploit the gold of the Andes (see, for example, pages 173, 209-10).