To live deliberately or conquer an island of despair : an eco-critical analysis of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe

Abstract EN

Robinson Crusoe was a novel written by English writer Daniel Defoe in 1719.

in the novel, the protagonist Crusoe is forced to live on a deserted island for twenty-eight years.

a life that close to nature as such lived by Crusoe especially when combined with some degree of solitude, provides him with enough time to plunge deeper into his inner soul and ultimately find the true sense of life.

the current paper shall reveal how Crusoe will go through a fundamental psychological, behavioral as well philosophical transformation.

the current paper will also attempt to study Crusoe's reactions to the different challenges his new environment poses on him.

finally, the current article will attempt to answer whether man really has to conquer his environment, or should he simply try to live in harmony with it ?