Daniel Defoe Analysis

During his life unusual life as a merchant, a government spy, an all but exiled priest, and a public servant, Daniel Defoe miraculously managed to produce numerous works and become one of the greatest authors in the British literary tradition. These works, clearly a product of the author’s varied life, were influenced vastly by the events and affiliations that Defoe himself was subject to. In this, Defoe was initially faced with hardships in every aspect of his life, always progressing despite initial failure. These events, compounded with his strong beliefs and virtues culminate into his eventual success in business and government. Thus, as an influential British author, Daniel Defoe, in creating a variety of literary masterpieces, drew from

Applying these lessons, Defoe was able to not only maintain his integrity in business but was also able to draw conclusions about wealth that have evaded many over the course of time. In this regard, Defoe was one who often learned from his mistakes, always repaying his debtors in time and beginning anew when he had to. Additionally, in being such a significant portion of his life, the representation of his overlying hardship concerning finance is one that frequently found in his literature. Furthermore, as cited by Carl Edmund in his analysis of Defoe’s work, nearly all of his novels contain characters of integrity that go through financial hardships to come to a variety of revelations on the subject (Edmund 233). Therefore, Defoe’s honest pursuit of wealth and resulting experiences correlate directly with aspects of his literature and often appear as recurring themes in many of his

Despite persecution, Defoe remained loyal to his values and beliefs that he developed in his studies and maintained throughout his life. Additionally, while he eventually learned to suppress outright expression of ideas for his own safety, James Sutherland provides that many of his religious beliefs and practices transferred intact to his works of literature (Sutherland 3-6). However, while staying true to his religious beliefs, Defoe often straddled to political line as a sort of mediator, even though he was accused of being flighty in that respect. Additionally, “Novels for Students” displays how his tactful diplomacy can be seen in various forms of development throughout his realistic fiction novels, providing a clear means of connection to his life and work (“Robinson” 230-232). As a result, while being uncompromising in religion and malleable in political beliefs, Defoe was an expert in utilizing different techniques to eventually avoid persecution while still conveying his intended message of spiritual purity and its relevance to the politics of his time within his various works of