Daniel Defoe: Ambition and Innovation

An excellent biography, the first since 1958, of a man whose life was an adventure rivaling Robinson Crusoe's. Backscheider (English, U. of Rochester) reveals new information about Defoe's secret career as a double agent, his daring business ventures, and his cat-and-mouse games with those who wanted to control the press and his dangerous pen. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

This well-written book builds on and extends recent Defoe scholarship. Like Maximilian E. Novak's Realism, Myth, and History in Defoe's Fiction ( LJ 6/1/83) it argues that Defoe is a skillful, conscious artist. Like Geoffrey Sill's Defoe and the Idea of Fiction, 1713-1719 ( LJ 6/1/83) it examines fictional devices in Defoe's nonfiction. The book also sets Defoe's works in their literary and historicl context. The arguments are not uniformly persuasive. For example, the case for Defoe as a pioneer in the historical novel is stronger than the one for his poetic abilities. Nevertheless, the book adds to the appreciation and understanding of a still undervalued writer. Joseph Rosenblum, English Dept., Univ. of North Carolina-Greensboro
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.