In eighteenth-century fiction, short prefaces and introductions often served the same function that book jackets do now: telling you a little bit about the book to get you to buy it.
[In the Penguin edition ordered for this course, the eighteenth-century "Preface" to Robinson Crusoe is printed on the page immediately before the novel begins. It's not numbered, but if it were it would be page 3. Do not confuse it with John Richetti's fine "Introduction" to the edition. Richetti's essay is well worthy reading, but it is (a) not required and (b) not the subject of this blog post.]
On what basis does "The Preface" to Robinson Crusoe try to sell you this book? What reasons are supplied to make the reader think it's worth buying? What assumptions about the reader's desires and interests does the Preface draw on? Please refer to the specific language of the Preface to explain what you mean.
Deadline: Thursday (9/1), start of class.
The preface, being an important aspect of eighteenth century novels, always seems to draw on FACTS. Claiming that something is devoid of "fiction" is insinuating that these events all occured as they are recounted. Many times, in these novels, introducing something as factual, and a part of history, gives the reader the idea that the events of the story could happen to them; which adds significant excitement for the reader. In addition, the preface makes several references to "the editor" which most people would assume to be a credible and reliable source. The preface draws on this credibility by saying that the editor thinks this book, more so than any other, is worth being published. There is also a reference to "wise men", which is implied to be the title for those who read this book. The author insinuates that this book is for the wise only, so why would potential readers eliminate themselves from this category? When the preface states that "this story is told with modesty, with seriousness, and with religious application of events", readers are drawn in; these are all aspects that intelligent or "wise" readers look for in a novel. The preface does its best to build up the credibility of this book and all those associated with it, making it much more desirable to readers.
ReplyDeleteThe preface focuses on a number of things. The first being that the story being told in this book is unlike anything a normal person would have experienced. "The wonders of this man's life exceed all that (he thinks) is to be found extant." By showcasing these "wonders" to the audience, they would most likely be intrigued by what sort of adventures or mishaps Robinson Crusoe got into.
ReplyDeleteThe preface also references the religious aspect of Robinson Crusoe and how "to justify and honour the wisdom of Providence." Societies as a whole were significantly more religious back then and a book containing religious themes, would be popular.
Finally, the author believes the book to be fact, which makes the events that ensue in the book even more fascinating to an audience.
I agree with what Dayna says and what we discussed in class about the importance of readers believing that the novels they were reading were based in fact. The Preface tells the reader "The editor believes the thing to be a just history of fact; neither is there any appearance of fiction in it." The belief that the adventures of Robinson Crusoe actually happened allowed would allow the readers to experience a life very different from that which they lived. Also in the Preface is the mention of religion. The Preface believes that readers would be interested in how a man's faith and devotion to God helped him survive being shipwrecked: "... and to justify and honour the wisdom of Providence in all the variety of our circumstances, let them happen how they will." This would have appealed to a readers desire to believe that if God helped Crusoe through his extraordinary circumstances, He would guide the readers also.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my fellow classmates that the preface appeals to readers in need of a religious message. The first person narrator constantly emphasizes that his disastrous circumstances and fate are a product of God’s punishment for abandoning his parents’ desire for him to remain at home, for “the breach of my duty to God and my father” (9, Defoe). Had he been a dutiful son, one is left to assume that the events in his life would have proved more beneficial. Therefore, the preface shows that this narrative functions as more than just entertainment, but also as a source of moral guidance. As for the credibility which the preface attempts to build, I’d like to argue that it is possible that the preface simply creates a certain tone rather than truly convinces readers that the travails of “Robinson Crusoe” is anything less than fact. When one reads fictional narratives today, one understands that oftentimes, the line between truth and fiction is blurred. Is factual truth a necessity in order for a writing to be true, in order for the message to be real? Perhaps, our current view of truth has much to do with the values of society. In the 1700’s, individuals still believed in the factual nature of the Bible. So, perhaps having factual truth was important in order for an author to acquire readers. We know that the preface attempts to assert this work as fact. Do you think that readers approached “Robinson Crusoe” as a factual account of a very unfortunate man or did they simply take the preface in as part of the narrative, as the backdrop of the story?
ReplyDeleteThe Preface expresses the idea that a "private man's adventures" are worth getting our noses into. I think that this draws a lot of readers to try out "Robinson Crusoe" because everybody has a private life and innermost thoughts that never really gets out into the public; from fear of rejection, maybe. The lure here is that it sparks a curiosity in the reading audience to see what others' private thoughts are and see how it relates similarly or differently to theirs. There is definitely a hook in that phrase, "If ever the story of any private man's adventures in the world were worth making publick, and were acceptable when publish'd, the editor of this account thinks this will be so." There are readers who read for the sake of enlightenment, or perhaps even just entertainment. And there are those who read to find a connection with a story's character to see how others might respond to a given situation. And the wordings in the preface like "uses to which wise men always apply them to the instruction of others by this example, and to justify and honour the wisdom of Providence...." again kind of makes the reader wonder if there is some wisdom to be extracted from this novel.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the preface, I instantly compared this story (which I previously knew nothing of) and its protagonist to the "most interesting man in the world" of the Dos Equis beer commercials. While most of the things in the commercials are outlandish, they still work to achieve a sense of credibility by their sheer entertainment value in order to endorse the product. Although the preface claims the story to contain only facts, it still promises more entertainment than any of its competitors can provide. It claims that it is a story that cannot possibly be improved - saying, "...that the improvement of it... will be the same." It is also interesting that the preface says the story is told "with seriousness," among other things. It has the same effect of the "most interesting man" talking at the end of his commercials. He endorses the product and gives a friendly warning with the most serious expression on his face, in order to show that the amazing things he promises can in fact come true. Hopefully, the book can deliver on the promises made within the preface.
ReplyDeleteI love Keena's comparison to the Dos Equis man and I completely agree that the preface relies on the assumption that this story is something special. Look at the way it begins: "If ever the story of any private man's adventures in the world were worth making publick, and were acceptable when publish'd, the editor of this account thinks this will be so". The language of the preface makes Crusoe out to be the most worthy subject of a story, if ever there was one. I think we should also draw our attention to the footnote. It references pieces that are "dispatch'd", and the footnote tells us that "stories such as this were meant to be read quickly and inattentively, so that their truth or falsity did not matter". Again, the preface makes this particular story out to be the exception of the time. In a world full of inadequate stories, that of Robinson Crusoe stands out, or at least it should. I think the preface appeals to the fact that readers were perpetually looking for novelty; claiming a story to be so intrinsically worthy of being told adds a certain amount of intrigue and suspense that will presumably lead to its vast consumption.
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