Daniel Defoe

Introduction

Daniel Defoe was a famous English author, trader, journalist, and commentator. Defoe is renowned for his textbook Robinson Crusoe, which was published in 1719 and has been summarised in many languages. He helped make novels popular in Britain along with other authors such as Samuel Richardson and Aphra Behn.

Defoe wrote a lot about politics and often got in trouble with the government. Some necessary people listened to his unique ideas and sometimes asked him for suggestions. Daniel wrote more than 300 books, booklets, and journals on different subjects such as politics, corruption, religion, marriage, psychology, and the supernatural. He also had a significant influence on business and economic journalism.

Daniel Defoe Biography

Daniel was born in 1660, but the exact date is unclear, according to reports. Daniel is originally from Fore Street in London. His dad, James Foe, was a successful candlemaker of Flemish descent. During his childhood, Daniel attended big events like the Great Plague of London in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Around the age of 10, Daniel's mom passed away. He visited Reverend James Fisher's boarding school in Dorking, Surrey, for his education. Since his parents were part of a church group, when he was around 14, he went to a school run by Charles Morton at Newington Green. During this period, individuals who chose to worship outside the Church of England were treated badly by the English government.

Business career

Defoe began his own company selling various things, such as clothes and wine. He was able to purchase a large home and a ship, but he was always in debt. In 1685, Defoe entered a rebellion but was forgiven and escaped penalty. He became friends with Queen Mary and William III in 1689. Regardless, some of their policies generated problems for Defoe's trade connections with France.

In 1692, he was charged for owing lots of money and had to declare insolvency. When he died, he didn't have much money left and had legal problems with the government. After being released from lockup, he traveled in Europe and Scotland. He had traded wine to cities such as Cadiz, Porto, and Lisbon.

By 1695, he was back in England using the name "Defoe" and serving as a tax collector for bottles. In 1696, he started a factory in Tilbury, Essex, that created tiles and bricks. He lived nearby in Chadwell St Mary parish.

Writing

Defoe authored about 545 different types of books, such as funny poems and political and spiritual papers.

Pamphleteering and Prison

Daniel Defoe was an author who printed suggestions for social and economic progress. He supported King William III against attacks from his political opponents and wrote about English anti-immigration opinions. Defoe was arrested for writing a pamphlet criticizing the Church of England, sentenced to public embarrassment in a pillory, and jailed.

After his release, he became an intelligence agent for the Tories. He saw a devastating storm in 1703 and reported about it in The Storm, which is regarded as one of the first examples of modern journalism. Defoe also wrote journals supporting different political parties and wrote non-political works as well.

Anglo-Scottish Union of 1707

During his detention, Defoe wrote to William Paterson, founder of the Bank of England. Paterson supported securing Defoe's release, and he began publishing The Review. This magazine supported the Act of Union 1707.

Defoe traveled to Edinburgh as a secret agent to support the Treaty of Union. He reported on violent protests against the Union and influenced suggestions in Parliament. In Scotland, he used debates that were different from those in England and misled individuals by pretending some pamphlets were authored by Scots. His history of the Union is still felt valuable. Still, it is little towards his ideas and ignores noteworthy opponents such as Andrew Fletcher and the Duke of Hamilton, who switched sides during the debate.

Aftermath

In 1709, Defoe authored a long book named The History of the Union of Great Britain. It talks about the Acts of Union in 1707 and goes all the way back to when King James I got a proposal for unification in 1604. This happened over 100 years before the signing of the contract in 1707.

Defoe didn't clarify why Scotland's Parliament, which wanted freedom from 1703 to 1705, changed its mind in 1706. He didn't get many prizes or praise from the government for his work. In his textbook Tour thro' the whole Island of Great Britain, printed in 1726, he revealed that trade and population growth in Scotland after the Union wasn't what he had expected.

Late Writing

During the period from 1714 to 1719, there was controversy about what Daniel Defoe wrote. He protected himself against claims of reporting things he didn't in a book named Appeal to Honour and Justice. Some of his other works contain The Family Instructor Minutes of the Negotiations of Monsr. Mesnager, and A Continuation of the Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy.

Defoe published famous novels from 1719 to 1724 and also wrote conduct manuals such as Religious Courtship and The Complete English Tradesman. He wrote textbooks criticizing social order breakdowns and supernatural topics, too. His works on foreign trips and trade were A General History of Discoveries and Improvements, Atlas Maritimus and Commercial, and A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain, which analyzed British trade before the Industrial Revolution.

The Complete English Tradesman

The Complete English Tradesman, authored in 1726 by Defoe, talks about the significance of trade in England. Defoe thinks that British trade is better than trade with other nations. He also believes that trade is essential for the economy. Many noble families have been involved in trade through weddings or personal experiences. Defoe respects tradesmen a lot because he was one himself.

Novels

Robinson Crusoe, issued when Defoe was in his late fifties, reveals the story of a man shipwrecked on a desert island for 28 years. Throughout the book, Crusoe struggles with belief and turns to God during times of trouble but often forgets his commitments after being saved. Finally, he finds happiness living alone on the island. The novel have been motivated by the real-life castaway Alexander Selkirk but also draws from other references such as Ibn Tufail's Philosophus Autodidactus.

Defoe's next novels contain Captain Singleton, Memoirs of a Cavalier, A Journal of the Plague Year, Colonel Jack, Moll Flanders (an important work challenging gender roles), and Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress. Defoe's writings often give moral messages and claim to be real stories.

Daniel Relationships and More

On January 1, 1684, Defoe wedded Mary Tuffley. She was the daughter of a London trader and got with her a big dowry of £3,700. Despite his deficits and political troubles, their marriage lasted 47 years, and they had 8 kids.

Death

Defoe passed away on April 24, 1731, likely while hiding from individuals to whom he owed money. He often ended up in jail for being in debt. They said he died because he was very tired, but it was likely a stroke. They buried him in Bunhill Fields outside of London and made a monument for him in 1870.

Conclusion

Daniel Defoe was an expert writer who made influential contributions to English literature. He wrote various kinds of books and stories. His most notable novel, "Robinson Crusoe," was printed in 1719 and is about a man surviving on an island alone. This book showed Defoe's talent for telling stories and also had impressive ideas about how individuals can be strong and survive tough situations. Before becoming an author, Defoe worked in trade and learned about business and the world, which improved his writing, too.