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What it seems, the adventures of Robinson Crusoe is the book which had the greatest number of editions after the Bible. It is a record enviable, justified by the fascination of an extraordinary account, but distressing (a man, only, on an island lost, during almost 28 years). In short, 280 years after its publication without name of author (London, April 1719), this work still puts in the thousand. The history, told with the first nobody as if it acted an autobiography, is indeed single in its kind, even if, conceived and written by its author for an adult public, it became, during generations, a reading for the children. However only the adults are capable to enter in the ideological frame of this novel which is, undoubtedly, the representation of a particular type of individual: self-sufficing, active, productive; a type of individual who, for the XVII2nd century has constituted a cultural model gaining.
There exists, however, a strange destiny common to certain traditional of the literature: that to be always read in the same way, as if a kind of idleness prevented from reading all that the author wrote and not only these parts of the book which issued durable success of them. It is thus book of Defoe. The readers never attached much importance to the fact of knowing which was Robinson before its shipwreck and its terrible loneliness, nor why it was exposed to such a misfortune. And yetthe front one and it why are explained very clearly by Defoe and, which is more important still, it are an integral part of the Robinson character, of its ideology and its behavior. (...) But let us proceed with command. Initially Robinson invented by Defoe was not a sailor (even if it is defined kind in the original bond of the work). Perhaps he would have liked to become it, but in its first trips by sea it is described like a young man terrorized by the storms. If Robinson chose the sea, it is not to become sailor, but only because of the mania to make fortune, to gain much money, and immediately, with a particular type of trade. On tens of pages (these same pages that the readers were always unaware of), Defoe does not stop criticizing like « an extravagant and unspecified idea », the desire of Robinson « to make fortune »(Robinson, folio, 1996, page 65). It will be precisely this greed which will determine all misfortunes of Robinson : slavery, initially (...), despair on a deserted island, then. The feverish search of the money,« the bold and immoderate desire to raise me more promptly than the nature of the things admitted it »(Robinson, folio, 1996, page. 99) is severly criticized by Defoe. Indeed, after havehaving escaped with slavery in Morocco, Robinson is established in Brazil, where, during four years, he will be a farmer and grower (he produced sugar and tobacco). But its mania of the trade will prevent it from settling durably in this quiet and withdrawn life. And the trade, for Robinson, it was to give up the hard labour of the fields to continue an easy and fast wealth. However, in the XVII 2nd century oldmedium , of many speculators and traffickers, in short of« the businessmen »European and in particular English made a great economic discovery : draft and trade of the slaves ; i.e. the removal of peaceful inhabitants of the Western coasts of Africa and their violent transfer, on slave ships, towards America, to be sold there with the biddings.
By writing its novel, Defoe thus spoke in « real time »and perfect knowledge about this wretched market. Born in London into 1660, in a family of merchants, Defoe had been educated, more that with the worship of the money, the respect of the rules and the securities morals. Indeed, become itself merchant, he voyagea during a few years in Europe (he visited also Italy), remainder always faithful to the rules of commercial morality. It did not have success and then decided to become journalist and narrator. It is thus in this personal experiment that it is necessary to seek the reasons of its critical retreat, obvious as of the first pages of the novel, compared to the feverish activities of its character.
Robinson becomes thus slave trader with full bond, achieving several
trips, very profitable, on the coasts of Guinea, to draw some« from
the Negros for the service of Brazil, and in great number »(Robinson,
folio, 1996, page 99). Moreover, Robinson Crusoe is made the burning propagandist,
near his friends farmers and growers, of this so lucrative economic activity
:« in my conversations with them, I had frequently made the account
of my two trips on the coast of Guinea, the manner of adulterating there
with the Negros » (Robinson, folio, 1996, page 99) and of
the facility of« the draft »of the negros. However, this trade
was legal for all the purposes, it was enough to obtain the authorization
of the Portuguese and Spanish governments (Spain and Portugal were indeed
the Masters of the American colonies). But obtaining as of the these authorizations
was long and obliged to pay taxes at the time of the sale at the strong
price of the captured slaves. Here is thus lucky find : why not elude the
payments and make clandestine trade of negros ?« It occurred that
once, finding me in company with merchants and growers of my knowledge,
I spoke about all that passionately ; three of them came near me the following
day in the morning, and told me that they had thought much of that which
I had discussed with them the preceding evening, and which they came to
make me a secret proposal. They declared me, after me to have recommended
the discretion, which they had the drawing to equip a vessel for the coast
with Guinea. We have all, like you, of the plantations, added, and we do
not have anything as well need as slaves ; but as us can not to undertake
this trade, since one cannot sell the Negros publicly when they are unloaded,
we wish to make one trip, to bring back some secretly and to distribute
them on our plantations »(Robinson, folio, 1996, page 100).
Robinson should have embarked as commercial consultant« to direct
the draft on the coast of Guinea, I would have my contingent portion of
Negros without providing my money quota » (Robinson, folio,
1996, page 100). The business was concluded. Forwarding took its departure
on September first 1659. Few days after, a terrible storm off Venezuela,
ruined the vessel around an island : the crew in vain tried to save itself,
only Robinson survived From this moment begins the other history, the fight
for survival in a made prison of trees, rocks, of sand, the frontal shock
between the man and Nature, confrontation between loneliness and productive
ingeniousness. Robinson will survive, thanks also to its religious faith
(the Bible is the only rescapé book of the shipwreck), do not forget
that Defoe was a sincere presbytérien. But when, as all the readers
know it, at the end of twenty-five years of loneliness, arrives on the
island a young negro, Friday, Robinson captures it, affectionne with him,
but its role of Master does not forget : it will not give up either its
image of oneself like king and Lord, king and lord (thus autoproclame
it) of the island which it colonized during so many years. In short, even
into small, Robinson remains the ambitious businessman which it always
was. Why thus this man, if banal and so poor, did become, for generations
of readers, a symbol, a myth, a Utopia? Perhaps because of the power of
the literary plot, of the narrative invention, the art of the account,
but especially because of the direction of an elementary chronicle, where
the adventure, the mystery, the existential anguish, draw contours of a
man obliged, during long years, to dialogue only with oneself and to find
in work (and in the case of Robinson, character created by a man of religion
like Defoe) and in the faith, the force to live; the force to fight victoriously
against Death. The ideology of slave and the Robinson merchant was petty,
but its challenge with death is imposing. Here is the true moral lesson
of a book which we all like.
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Academic
Year 00-01
07/02/2001
©a.r.e.a.
Dr. Vicente Forés López
©Ana
Aroa Alba Cuesta
Universitat
de València Press