Atalantis Major

Daniel DefoeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 83K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Atalantis Major by Daniel DefoeAuthor: Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Oct 17, 2008

Editor's review

Atalantis Major is a political satire by Daniel Defoe, one of his many polemical writings. Defoe is known for Robinson Crusoe, but in his own time he was better known for political pamphlets and satires, and this book continues that mode of veiled commentary on contemporary politics through allegory and fictional narrative. The work is closely tied to early eighteenth-century English factional politics and the struggles of court and Parliament, and reading it requires some historical background; yet even without knowing the specific events, one can still feel Defoe's sharp satirical touch and narrative skill. For readers studying Defoe's political writing, the tradition of English satire, or eighteenth-century political culture, this is a valuable primary text. As a public-domain e-book, it is better suited as a research text or supplementary material for literary history than as light entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Defoe's political writing and satirical pamphlets
Those interested in eighteenth-century English political culture and satirical literature
Students and researchers of English literature or history
Advanced readers who enjoy allegorical political satire

Not a good fit for

Readers who only want adventure stories like Robinson Crusoe
Those without background in early modern British history who want light reading
Readers with limited English reading ability who need Chinese translation and notes

Reading tips

Before reading, learn the basic background of early eighteenth-century English party politics; it will make the reading much smoother.
Place the work within the context of Defoe's political pamphlets and read it alongside his satires of the same period.
As you read, sort out the allegorical relations between characters and events, and keep simple character comparison notes.
Read an introduction or a relevant chapter of literary history first, then enter the original text to avoid getting lost in allusions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in the same style as Robinson Crusoe?

No. Robinson Crusoe is an adventure novel, while this book is a political satire that uses allegorical narrative to allude to the English politics of the time. It shows Defoe as a political writer rather than as a novelist.

What historical background is needed to read this book?

It is best to know about early eighteenth-century English political factions, the struggles between Parliament and the court, and Defoe's own political experience. This background helps you identify the targets of allusion; otherwise it is easy to see only the surface story.

Is this the English original or a Chinese translation?

This is a public-domain English e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with the text in English. The book involves many historical allusions and political references, and the English original is fairly difficult, so it is advisable to use it with annotated editions or related research materials.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Daniel Defoe Author · British · 1660–1731

Daniel Defoe (1661?–1731) was an English novelist, political writer and journalist, and a founding figure of realist fiction in the English Enlightenment. His birth year is recorded variously; the library lists 1660, and he died in 1731. A prolific author, he is represented here by 59 works, the best known being Robinson Crusoe, alongside Moll Flanders and A Journal of the Plague Year. His novels often follow individual fortunes and adventures, written in a plain, concrete and realistic style that presents characters' circumstances and choices in unadorned narrative, and his influence on the development of English realist fiction is far-reaching. Commonly classified under inspirational growth, his works are still read today as important accounts of endurance and self-reliance.