Daniel Defoes was an obscure and polemic man who lived seven reigns and a countless number of political and social changes. Of that turbulent period, Daniel Defoe gave a clear evidence of a transformation: the flourish of the English spirit in literature. He also took a great interest in partisan politics and was a prolific spokesman for the views and interest of the emerging middle class.
James Joyce stated in an essay the backgrounds that outstands the importance of Daniel Defoe's work: in Chaucer prevailed the Norman priests and foreign heroes. Milton tried a puritan version of The Divine Comedy; the theatre of the monarch restoration followed the Spanish patterns, Shakespeare's work is filled with characters from overseas. It was Daniel Defoe the first writer who did not follow or adapt foreign works; his pen introduced the national spirit, so it is fair to say that he is the father of the English novel.
More than two hundred and twenty works are attributed to Daniel Defoe. He expressed his opinion on every subject he was interested in. In the journalist field, his contribution is of great relevance. From 1704 to 1713, Daniel Defoe directed the Review, the prototype of the later well-known newspapers. Defoe was the only journalist to write the whole The Review, and many times had to do it from jail.
The art of the essay owes Defoe many efficient comments on diverse themes, but his contribution to the novel is more important. Defoe was a pioneer introducing in literature the character of the heartless thief, the orphan child and the brutal but sensitive prostitute. Defoe had a singular skill to inspire his works in low class people; he judged the stories only by its intrinsic importance without observing the social environment they come from. Famous writers like James Joyce, E.M. Forster, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville verify the notable influence reached by Defoe's fiction novels.