42815 (Daniel Defoe and His Novel Robinson Crusoe), страница 6

As they neared a place called Yarmouth Roads, the winds ceased to blow and thus they were stilled for eight days, and when the winds did begin to blow, the ship immediately encountered a storm much more violent than the earlier one. Even the most experienced sailors were down on their knees praying. The storm continued with such fury that the seamen acknowledged that they had never known a worse one.

When the boat sprung a leak, Robinson was ordered below to help pump the water. It soon became apparent that they would not be able to save the ship and the captain fired several volleys of distress signals. A lighter ship in the vicinity made it up to their ship and was able to take the crew away from the sinking ship, which foundered soon after they left.

The crew finally got to shore, where Robinson Crusoe met his friend's father, who owned the ship. When the captain heard Robinson Crusoe's story, he felt strongly that it was the "hand of Providence" instructing Robinson Crusoe never to go to sea any more. He told the young man: "You ought to take this for a plain and visible token that you are not to be a seafaring man." He even wondered if he had done something wrong that such a person as Robinson Crusoe should "come onto his ship," and he warned Crusoe again that "you will meet with nothing but disasters and disappointments" if he did not go back to his father's house.

The impetus for the idea for Robinson Crusoe came to Defoe from his reading of the account of a man named Alexander Selkirk who, in a fit of anger, had himself put ashore on a deserted island. Earlier, Selkirk had gotten into a fight with a fellow crewman and had himself and his effects put ashore on an island outside of Chili. When he realized the effect of his actions, he pleaded with his shipmates to come back for him, but it was too late. He was marooned on the island for four and a half years. When he was later rescued, the report states that he could hardly speak any more, but he did apparently quickly regain his speech.

The account of Alexander Selkirk was published widely throughout England; he was the subject of an article by Richard Steele in the Englishman, and an account of his adventures appeared in many other papers. Consequently, Defoe was quite familiar with Selkirk's adventures, and some biographers maintain that Defoe interviewed Selkirk personally, but this is debatable.

Many of Selkirk's activities on his island are paralleled by Robinson Crusoe on his island; for example, Selkirk fed on turnips, fish, and goat's meat; he became overrun with cats, and he had to use his ingenuity to survive, all reflected in Defoe's novel. In addition, Alexander Selkirk's original name had been Alexander Sclera, just as Robinson Crusoe's real name had been Robinson Kreutznaer.

A clue to one of the basic ideas of the novel is given in the first chapter, when Crusoe's father admonished his son to stay "in the middle station" of life--this station being the one which "had the fewest disasters, and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part of mankind." Crusoe's pride would not allow him to remain in this "middle station." So Crusoe, like the protagonists in many Greek myths and dramas, suffers from the sin of hubris and is accordingly punished. Often during his confinement on the island, Crusoe is reminded of his father's advice and rues his own impulsiveness. Furthermore, the father's pronouncement that his "boy might be happy if he would stay at home, but if he goes abroad, he will be the most miserable wretch that was ever born" becomes a prophetic statement which foreshadows Crusoe's later predicament.

The father's prediction comes true sooner than even Crusoe could expect. His first boat founders and Crusoe makes solemn vows in a time of trouble, but as soon as the trouble is over, he forgets his vows. Thus, we have his first reneging on his word to God. Throughout the rest of the novel, he will constantly contemplate his relationship with God and how much God is punishing him for his "wicked ways."

Literature is the second part of a language study. It was always included in studying any foreign languages. Teaching literature is very difficult process, not simultaneous in its structure and it requires the set of literary sources, which would be mostly appropriate to better understanding of the language studied. That is why modern teachers should not only teach grammar and oral practice materials, but also pay attention to learning the best examples of the literary works created by the best representatives of the foreign language bearers, beginning from the classical authors, and continuing to the modern writers and poets.

When speaking about the English language and literature we also take into consideration all the trends featuring England for the whole period of written language existence, beginning from “Beowulf” and not finishing by someone. That is we must take into consideration the historic aspect when studying English.

Without knowing the history of the language, without perfect knowledge all the major milestones in development of the English literature, the teacher will not be able to prove his students the majesty and beauty of the language studied. Frankly speaking, if we ask foreign learners of English, whom do they know amongst the most significant English poets and writers, the most obvious answer will be: Shakespeare, Wilde, and Defoe. Of course, as literary Greek is the language of Homer, Spanish is the language of Cervantes; German is that of Goethe, Russian is that of Pushkin, the English language is the language of William Shakespeare. So we are sure that even the worst graded student of English will undoubtedly name Shakespeare as the best language bearer of English, together with naming some of the most popular of his works, like “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, and “Midsummer Night’s dream”. But, nevertheless, the English literature is not Shakespeare only, (though the English literature without Shakespeare is not the English literature as well), the English language is also the language of Chaucer, Byron, Swift, Stevenson, and many others. That is why we think of the general characteristics and analysis of the way the English literature has passed in its development, and of educational value of the latter as the major task of this chapter.

Studying English literature and acquaintance with it begins with the appearance of the first modern languages. Without getting acquaintance the students with this period of development of English a teacher will not be able to demonstrate from what sources the English words which we are learning nowadays have appeared. The teacher as a “Dawn of Modern English” should characterize this period of time. The studied period in teaching process must be observed through the history of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic languages. Here a teacher is recommended to devote one language to the first Anglo-Saxon epic “Beowulf” (700’s) – the elegiac history of the last hero of a dying Germanic people. A brief revision of the later epics is also strongly recommended: “Dream of the Rood”, Widsith” (the oldest Anglo-Saxon fragment), “Deor”, the “Wanderer”, and “Seafarer”. The educational aspect of this period concludes the idea of the first written sources of the literature of the British Isles. Teacher should also underline that the peculiarity of this literature is that it has no concrete author: all this epic novels are of collected folk authorship, based on the life experience of the people and the aural retelling from fathers to sons.

The next literary milestone of English, which must be observed and taught by teachers, is the period of 1300’s – the period of rediscovering of the English literature from its Norman influence. Teacher should underline for his students that the language of this period was far cry from the Anglo-Saxon tongue spoken before 1066. It was greatly expanded and strengthened by the addition of thousands of new words from the Norman French; - especially abstract words from intellectual use. Yet, it was not French at all; its grammar and its homely everyday words were of German origin. Teaching aspect of this period is that this combination we call the Middle English, but it is recognizable as the basis for the language we speak today. This period should be taught on the basis of the works as “the Owl and the Nightingale”, “Ancren Riwle” (guide for women on meditation) and others. But the most significant milestone, which ought to be mentioned when teaching the English literature, is the preparation of the first Bible in English by John Wicliffe’s.

The third milestone of the English literature, which is to be analyzed when teaching English, is pre-Renaissance time. This epoch is the epoch of Geoffrey Chaucer – the founder of the English poetry. The most famous work of him is “Canterbury Tales” - a series of stories linked together by their story-teller. Chaucer’ work is rather poetry than prose, however, and his story-tellers are still recognizable through 600 years later. That is why teaching English is impossible without thorough studying of “Canterbury Tales”.

The next period in the history of the English literature which should be taught is the literature of 1500’s. In this period the first lyrics appeared: John Scelton wrote it. Here created Sir Thomas Wyatt. A greater writer still was William Tyndale. His translations of the Bible, made under a ban, greatly influenced the later King James’s version (1611). The statesman who most wanted Tyndale silenced and yet the leading humanists of his age, Sir Thomas More, like his friend Erasmus, unable to break to Catholicism, turned pay for his consciousness. Thomas More’s circle, which included John Colet, Thomas Lynacre, Desiderius Erasmus and Sir Thomas Elyot, was responsible for important translations from Greek, Latin, and Italian. So the teaching of this period must be looked through the history of translation. Sir Thomas More rested in literary history for his» Utopia” non-existing land where everything is good and prosperous. Amongst the other educationally valued authors of that period were Christopher Marlowe and Sir Francis Bacon, Edmund Spencer and Philip Sydney. This period is also significant for studying because of the reason that it was the last period before Shakespeare. All that existed referred to pre-Shakespearean language.

No one doubts that Shakespeare is the most mysterious figure in the world medieval literature. Born in 1594, he stood alone amongst the English writers. The greatest poet and dramatist, Shakespeare left nothing similar to the database of his life. Throughout Shakespeare worked with the simplest of principles, writing at the mind’s own speed, using everything he read, but reworking it first, and depending for character upon the defining trait of flaw. Having written 37 plays and more than 250 sonnets and little poems, Shakespeare up to nowadays rested misunderstood and the argues around his works and his authorship do not become calmer. However, it was Shakespearean language, on the basis of which we teach our students literary English.

The literature of the XVII century has its “i-dots” on John Milton – the author of the poem “Lycidas”. After becoming blind, he wrote one of the most English epic – “Paradise Lost” which retold the story of Adam and Eve and of their temptation by the Satan and fall from God’s favor. The story of Satan’s rebellion can be read in the life of the actual rebellion in which Milton had taken part. In fact, generations of readers have found Satan the most attractive and sympathetic character in the great poem. The educational value for what it is worth teaching is that it was the first call to the traditional preferences of the society.

The 1670’s were the beginning point in the appearing of the new genre in literature – entertaining novel. And the founder of this was Daniel Defoe – a journalist who used to be both the King’s favorite and hostile. In his “Robinson Crusoe”, “Moll Flanders”, and “The Journal of the Plague Year” he turned, as many a journalist before and since, to simulated facts, without bothering to inform the public of its technique. The educational value of Defoe’s works is that his racy and essentially nonliterary efforts stand one of the major building blocks of the English novel. “Robinson Crusoe” was seemingly the most read book since 1700’s up to nowadays. For learning process it is important by the following reason: having written in the plain literary English, it affords to a foreign learner to cognate the English language through entertained reading. This book is also important for us for its being first adventure novel.