If we want to compare any literary text, we must know the connection between the two literary works. And to know that connection we have to know about literary texts. So let's see the brief introduction about "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe first. Then we will see the brief introduction about "Foe novel" by J. M. Coetzee.
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents. Robinson Crusoe, in full the life and strange surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner. Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an Uninhabited Island on the Coast of America. It was near the mouth of the great river of Oroonoko.
Now have a look at "Foe" by J. M. Coetzee.
Foe novel is a 1986 novel by South African-born Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee. Woven around the existing plot of Robinson Crusoe, Foe is written from the perspective of Susan Barton, a castaway who landed on the same island inhabited by "Cruso" and Friday as their adventures were already underway. Like Robinson Crusoe, it is a frame story, unfolded as Barton's narrative while in England attempting to convince the writer Daniel Foe to help transform her tale into popular fiction. Focused primarily on themes of language and power, the novel was the subject of criticism in South Africa, where it was regarded as politically irrelevant on its release. Coetzee revisited the composition of Robinson Crusoe in 2003 in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech.
Q. 1 How would you differentiate the character of Cruso and Crusoe?
If we look at the character of Cruso, it is a satirical reinvention of Deniel Defo's Crusoe. In "Robinson Crusoe" the character of Cruso is described as an ideal person. He is very much active in his everyday life. First we see he wins the island. He saved Friday also. Then he teaches Friday how to do work, how to behave, how to express everything. He planted plants on that island. He does hard work for that. So Crusoe in Robinson Crusoe is HERO.
But the character of Cruso in "Foe" is opposite from the character of Crusoe of "Robinson Crusoe". Cruso becomes ZERO here in this novel by Coetzee. He was described as a very lazy man after Friday came. Friday manages all the things so he sits down at one place and mostly stays at that place. He is not doing any adventures, fighting, planting or teaching, so here the center was changed in this novel. Only because of his laziness. Even he was not attracted towards Susan's beauty. So this are the differences between character Crusoe and Cruso.
Q.5 Which novel is convincing and has poetic justice? (or is there poetic justice? – Has the writer achieved what it wished for? – Has Friday got the justice? )
If we think through the character of Friday in both novels we can say that the novel "Foe" has a poetic justice rather than "Robinson Crusoe". In the whole novel Susan wanted to make Friday free and to teach him with his permission. She wants Friday to learn everything and then he can live his life with his rules. Whole novel focuses on the character of Friday. So when we look at the poetic justice this novel "Foe" has that justice. Even he didn't Speak in the novel. But the overall story of the novel is Friday.
Q. 6 Who is the Protagonist? (Foe – Susan – Friday – Unnamed narrator)
As we see in the novel, we have different protagonists throughout the novel. First we see Denial Defoe is the first narrator. Because it's a prequel to that novel. So it is very important to study them first.
Second narrator is Susan Barton. She tells us the story through the use of letters.
Third narrator is Mr Foe, because he tells the story. Also he wrote a story on the voyages of Susan, Cruso and Friday. So he is the third narrator of the novel
Fourth narrator is an unnamed person. Who observes everything and tells us what is happening. So the name is not given here of that narrator.
The final and fifth narrator of the novel is J. M. Coetzee. Because he wrote everything. He described all the situations.
So these are several points that we can see in both novels. And we can also see the similarities and differences in them.
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