Daniel Defoe

Minto, William, 1845-1893Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 296K words
Chapters: 30

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.Daniel Defoe by William MintoAuthor: Minto, William, 1845-1893,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 3, 2005

Editor's review

This is William Minto's critical biography of Defoe, one of the more solid biographical works in early English literary criticism. Its value lies not in new material in the modern scholarly sense, but in tracing Defoe's life and creative profile through the eyes of a nineteenth-century critic, helping readers understand the reception context of works such as Robinson Crusoe. Minto's narrative emphasizes the connection between life and works, and its style carries the composure and moral concern of Victorian critical biography; it does not cite as densely as today's research monographs, yet has clear judgments and readability of its own. For Chinese readers, this book is better suited as a supplementary aid to understanding Defoe and his work than as a first introductory book. It is recommended to read it after having read Robinson Crusoe or having a basic understanding of his life, so as to better appreciate the author's measured commentary. The Project Gutenberg electronic edition is convenient for searching and excerpting, suitable for note-taking reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Defoe's representative works and want to understand his life and creative background
Researchers interested in the history of English literary criticism and nineteenth-century critical biography writing
English majors who need original English materials for paper citations
General readers who enjoy slow reading of biographies and do not seek time-sensitive knowledge

Not a good fit for

Beginners who have not yet encountered Defoe's works and wish to start with an introductory guide
Professional researchers expecting modern scholarly verification and new historical materials
Readers who prefer brisk, story-driven narration and have little patience for the critical biography genre

Reading tips

Finish reading Robinson Crusoe at least once before using the biography to understand the creative background.
While reading, mark Minto's judgments on the moral significance of the works for later comparison with contemporary criticism.
Read selections from Defoe's other works alongside to avoid understanding his life through only one novel.
For the English original, read one chapter a day and write two or three sentences of summary to reduce the burden of the critical biography genre.

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 an autobiography written by Defoe himself?

No. This is a critical biography of Defoe written by William Minto, a nineteenth-century critic; the book recounts Defoe's life and works, not Defoe's own account. Readers should distinguish the biographer's judgments from Defoe's own words.

Can I read it without having read Robinson Crusoe?

You can, but the gain will be diminished. Minto's commentary revolves largely around Defoe's representative works; without a basic impression of the plot and characters, it is easy to read vaguely. It is recommended to at least know the outline of Robinson Crusoe first.

What are the usage features of this electronic edition?

It comes from Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain English e-book, convenient for full-text search, copying excerpts, and offline reading. The layout is mainly plain text, with no modern annotations or introduction; readers need to supplement background materials themselves.

Are the views in the book still applicable today?

As a nineteenth-century critical biography, its range of historical materials and critical framework have period limitations, and some judgments have been revised by later research. Its usefulness lies more in understanding how early criticism viewed Defoe than in serving as the sole authoritative conclusion.

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About the author

Minto, William, 1845-1893 Author · Scottish · 1845–1893

William Minto (1845–1893) was a Scottish literary scholar and critic who served as Professor of Logic and English Literature at the University of Aberdeen. He wrote extensively on literary criticism and logic, and two of his works are held in this collection: Daniel Defoe and Logic, Inductive and Deductive. The former combines biography with literary criticism in its discussion of Defoe's life and writings, while the latter offers a systematic treatment of inductive and deductive logic, reflecting his teaching and research interests in the field. Rooted in an academic background, Minto's writing is clear and argumentative, balancing literary appreciation with scholarly analysis. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and this introduction is based mainly on his academic post and surviving works.