Eng 362

Dr. Morillo

Varieties of Religious Language in Robinson Crusoe

A rich discourse of early eighteenth-century religion, informed by Defoe's Protestant Dissenting background, appears woven through the adventure narrative.

Prayer (99, 119)

Saying Grace (68)

Secret Hints divine intimations, immediate apprehensions of Providential plans (127, 136, 180)

Prophetic Dreams reveal warnings, promises for the future (64, 144)

Evangelism spreading the Word (159)

Miracles and

Revelations (58) proof of divine intervention

backsliding, (66) often happens because Original Sin is repeated, intensified over time

forgetting the faith

Catechism direct instruction in faith via series of questions and answers (p. 156)

Theology system of belief; considering the nature of God, Devil, good, evil (157-8)

Providentialism idea of unity of times; the world's events follow a script written by God

Typology originally the interpretation of events in the Old Testament as foreshadowing similar events in the New Testament (Crusoe could be seen as a type of Jonah meeting misadventure at sea)

Crusoe's typology reads events in the book of his life as connected by type, as in Sept. 30th being the day chosen for repeated affliction: on successive Sept. 30ths he's captured by Turkish pirates in Morocco, and marooned on the island