Swiss Family Robinson

Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719: it was immediately successful, so much so that four editions were published in the next four months. The story was translated, abridged and re-written for children many times, appearing as a 16 page chapbook and as a seven page early pop-up book among more standard formats. It also spawned a whole genre of imitations--the Robinsonade.

A Robinsonade is not a 'reinterpretation of the Robinson story, but a repetition of a similar situation, a castaway on an uninhabitated island...' (Signal p 64). Countless of these stories have been writtten and continue to be written into the modern era: Lord of the Flies by William Golding is but one of many.

Swiss Family Robinson (or as originally published in 1812 Der Schweizerische Robinson...) evolved from the stories that Johann David Wyss, a Swiss pastor, told to his family. His four sons also contributed chapters and adventures. The father of the shipwrecked family uses their adventures as the basis for lessons, and his fund of knowledge ranges widely and deeply over every subject. Perhaps because Wyss's sons contributed chapters or adventures, the castaways' island is populated by an enormous and improbable variety of animals and plants. Never originally intended for publication, the chapters were collected and edited by Johann Rudolf Wyss, one of the sons, and published in Zurich in two volumes, 1812-13. A French translation was published in 1814 by Baroness de Montolieu and with Johann Rudolf's permission she expanded the story. This was the first of a number of expansions of the story, so much so that 'Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured...'(Carpenter p 510)

Perhaps because of the enormous variety of creatures and the adventures of the castaways, the story has remained popular with children. It was a direct inspiration for Marryat's Masterman Ready.

The apparent absurdity of producing an edition of the book in words of one syllable, was preceded in 1868 by an edition of Robinson Crusoe in words of one syllable. A loose adaptation of the story, the 'translation' is aided by the simple language of the original.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

Buy a high resolution copy.