kev67
07-28-2015, 01:48 PM
I am quite enjoying Robinson Crusoe. At first I wondered whether it was going to be any good. Something dramatic would happen to Crusoe, then something else, then something else. I wondered whether its reputation was mainly the result of being first English novel. It got better after he was shipwrecked. Daniel Defoe based the story on the experiences of a Scottish castaway called Alexander Selkirk.
I am reading it now because I recently read a sci-fi book called The Martian, which was described as like Robinson Crusoe on Mars. One of the reviews said it was like Robinson Crusoe written by someone much smarter, which irked me. The Martian is a good sci-fi book and should make a decent film. It is very strong on the science and is plausible except for the sandstorm at the beginning which cuts him off from his crew. However, I would not call it great literature. I think the writing in Robinson Crusoe is better. They are both hard working. Mark Watney is a much more capable person than Crusoe, which is partly why I find it easier to relate to Crusoe. For example, Crusoe spends a long time trying to make a wheel barrow, but has to give up because he can't make an axle for it, so he makes a builder's hob instead. Another example is he spends hours making a table, but he is not very happy with it. Mark Watney otoh works out how to make water from hydrazine rocket fuel, and how to get a transmitter from a decades old probe working. I reflected on that rather bitterly on a day when I could not unscrew the pedal on my bicycle or unblock my sink.
I am reading it now because I recently read a sci-fi book called The Martian, which was described as like Robinson Crusoe on Mars. One of the reviews said it was like Robinson Crusoe written by someone much smarter, which irked me. The Martian is a good sci-fi book and should make a decent film. It is very strong on the science and is plausible except for the sandstorm at the beginning which cuts him off from his crew. However, I would not call it great literature. I think the writing in Robinson Crusoe is better. They are both hard working. Mark Watney is a much more capable person than Crusoe, which is partly why I find it easier to relate to Crusoe. For example, Crusoe spends a long time trying to make a wheel barrow, but has to give up because he can't make an axle for it, so he makes a builder's hob instead. Another example is he spends hours making a table, but he is not very happy with it. Mark Watney otoh works out how to make water from hydrazine rocket fuel, and how to get a transmitter from a decades old probe working. I reflected on that rather bitterly on a day when I could not unscrew the pedal on my bicycle or unblock my sink.