| 词汇 | robinson crusoe |
| 词源 | Robinson Crusoe. Daniel Defoe’s novel was based on the true adventures of Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721), a seaman who in 1704 asked to be put ashore on the tiny island of Más a Tierra off South America because he objected to conditions aboard ship. Selkirk spent more than four years alone on the is- land before being rescued and returning to England, where he became a celebrity. Defoe, a journalist, certainly heard of Sel- kirk’s story and possibly interviewed him. In any case, he wrote the immensely successful The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe in 1719, embellishing Selkirk’s account and presenting it as a true story. In truth it was the first book to re- veal Defoe’s genius for vivid fiction and it was written when the author was almost 60. Selkirk never did go back to the Pacific island, as Defoe had Crusoe do in two sequels, which appeared the same year. His experiences had made him quite eccentric, however, and for a time he lived in a cave near his home in Lar- go, where it is said he taught alley cats how to do strange dances. A Robinson Crusoe is today anyone who lives alone like a her- mit for a long time. See dover’s powder. |
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