Concetti Chiave
- Daniel Defoe was born in London in 1660 to a middle-class merchant family and was influenced by his father's extreme Protestant beliefs.
- He initially pursued a career in business, becoming a merchant, but faced financial difficulties leading to bankruptcy in 1692.
- Defoe's political involvement included participation in a rebellion against King James II and later support for William of Orange.
- His literary career began out of financial necessity, gaining popularity through journalism and eventually writing novels under a pseudonym.
- Despite his success, Defoe's later life was marked by financial struggles and he died in 1731, isolated and without friends.
Infanzia e formazione
He was born in London in 1660. His father was a merchant, a typical middle class man, and belonged to an extreme protestant sect. Being a dissenter; he didn't accept some ceremonies of the Anglican Church and he refused to register his son's Birth. Daniel studied modern languages, economics and geography, and then decided to go into business. In 1680 he became a merchant and when he returned to England he opened a shop.
Carriera politica e affari
He got married and began his political career, in 1685 he took part to a rebellion against the roman catholic king James II, however managed to escape punishment. He joined William of Orange's army, his business got worse and worse and he went in 1692 bankrupt. He eventually managed to pay back most of his debts but then he needed to re-make the money he had lost, so he started many other activities (journalism and literature) winning popularity and the king's friendship.
Difficoltà e rinascita
In 1701 Queen Anne ascended the throne, she was a supporter of the state Church, so Defoes'situation went worse. He got a very big fine and he was sentenced to 3 days in the pillory.
He was imprisoned in New Gate for 6 months, he was rescued by the Tory (conservative party against the Whigs, liberals) leader Mr Harley. In 1704 he started his famous newspaper 'The Review', for which he denied his whig ideas and became a Secret Agent for the new government. He became a writer when he was about 60 just because he needed money. He was forced to adopt another pen name, so some of his novels are written by using another name. He died alone and friendless in 1731.
Domande da interrogazione
- Quali furono le prime influenze nella vita di Daniel Defoe?
- Come influenzò la politica la carriera di Defoe?
- In che modo l'imprigionamento influenzò la carriera letteraria di Defoe?
Daniel Defoe nacque a Londra nel 1660 in una famiglia di mercanti appartenente a una setta protestante estrema. Studiò lingue moderne, economia e geografia prima di intraprendere una carriera nel commercio.
Defoe partecipò a una ribellione contro il re cattolico Giacomo II e successivamente si unì all'esercito di Guglielmo d'Orange. La sua carriera politica fu segnata da difficoltà economiche e da un fallimento nel 1692, ma riuscì a ripagare gran parte dei suoi debiti e guadagnò popolarità attraverso il giornalismo e la letteratura.
Durante la sua prigionia a New Gate, Defoe fu salvato dal leader Tory Mr Harley e iniziò a scrivere per il giornale 'The Review'. Divenne scrittore per necessità economiche e adottò uno pseudonimo per alcune delle sue opere.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
