Here is the Presentation on the Comparative study of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘Foe'.

1. Comparative
study of
‘Robinson Crusoe’
and ‘Foe’
Prepared by Nirali Dabhi

2. Introduction
Name: Nirali Dabhi
Roll number: 13
Enrollment Number: 4069206420220006
Sem: 3 M.A
Paper number: 203
Paper Code: 22408
Paper Name: The Postcolonial Studies
Topic: Comparative study of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘Foe’
Submitted to: Smt S.B. Gardi, Department of English,
M.K.B.U
Email: niralidabhi95@gmail.com

3. Table of contents
About authors
Introduction of works
Characters
Comparison
Similarities in both novels
Survival Challenges
Movie adaptation
Conclusion

4. J. M. Coetzee
● Full name: John Maxwell Coetzee
● Born: February 9, 1940, Cape Town, South
Africa
● South African novelist, critic, and translator
noted for his novels about the effects of
colonization.
● In 2003 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
● Foe (1986), Age of Iron (1990), The Master of
Petersburg (1994), and Disgrace (1999)

5. Daniel Defoe
● Born: 1660, London
● Died: April 24, 1731, London
● English novelist, pamphleteer, and
journalist
● By his middle 30s, Daniel was calling
himself “Defoe,” probably reviving a variant
of what may have been the original family
name.
● Robinson Crusoe (1719), Moll Flanders
(1722) and Roxana (1724)

6. Introduction of works
● Published in 1719
● This is pioneering adventure
novel that recounts the tale of
Robinson Crusoe, a mariner
stranded on a deserted island.
● "Foe," penned in 1986
● Postcolonial reimagining of "Robinson Crusoe."
It presents the story of Susan Barton, another
castaway on a deserted island, and her
interactions with a writer named Mr. Foe,
examining issues of colonization and the
manipulation of narratives.
● Michael Chapman in "Writing of Politics" as
typical with his dismissive comment: "In our
knowledge of the human suffering on our own
doorstep of thousands of detainees who are
denied recourse to the rule of law, Foe does
not so much speak to Africa as provide a kind
of masturbatory release, in this country, for the
Europeanising dreams of an intellectual coterie"
Robinson Crusoe Foe

7. Characters
● Robinson Crusoe
● Friday
● Susan Barton
● Friday
● Mr. Foe
● Xury
● Cruso

8. Comparison
Friday- Friday is a handsome Carib youth with quasi-European
features but in Foe, he is a black African.
● In "Foe," Friday, like Susan Barton, remains a constant
presence, even accompanying her to England and residing in
Foe's home. Unlike Defoe's Friday, who learned European
languages and adopted Christianity from Crusoe, symbolizing a
clear colonized role, Coetzee's Friday is enigmatic, notably due
to his missing tongue.
● According to Derek Attridge suggests that in post-colonial
readings, Friday's silence in "Foe" is viewed as a protest
against being a mere ventriloquist's tool. This silence serves as
a powerful allegorical statement, underscoring the inherent
constraints of colonial discourse, even in critical and feminist
reevaluations.

9. ● The Robinson Crusoe is colonial novel and Foe is Postcolonial novel.
● While Robinson Crusoe is the main character and narrates the story from a
first-person perspective in Defoe's novel, Susan Barton is the woman who
narrates Foe.
● Friday retains the same name in Foe as in Robinson Crusoe, Robinson
Crusoe’s name is changed to “Cruso” which marks the first in a series of
differences between the character of Cruso(e) in Foe and Robinson Crusoe.
● This Robinson Crusoe is much more in tune with his own reality and
interested in his own accomplishments than Foe’s Cruso.
● In both novels, Friday represents a character who undergoes
transformation. In "Robinson Crusoe," he adopts European culture and
religion. In "Foe," Friday is portrayed as a figure who challenges
conventional narratives and defies easy classification due to his missing
tongue.

10. His-Story and Her-Story: A Comparative Study
of Robinson Crusoe and Foe
● Robinson Crusoe, the eponymous protagonist of the novel
● In Foe female character in it and also the narrator of novel.
● Susan Barton, besides making up for the absence of female
in the Defoe's text,serves Coetzee's text in a variety of ways.
● One tells the story of a male castaway Robinson Crusoe who
turns out to be a powerful, colonial patriarch, completely
avoiding the existence of woman; the other tells the story of
Susan Barton, a female castaway introduced by Coetzee into
the world of Crusoe.
● Coetzee portrays a more feminine viewpoint through
incorporating Susan Barton, her decisions and mindset raise
a debate in how they relate to the life of a woman in the
twentieth or even twenty-first centuries.

11. Similarities in both novels
● Friday retains the same name in Foe as in Robinson Crusoe, Robinson
Crusoe’s name is changed to “Cruso”
● "Foe" provides a postcolonial perspective and critique of the themes
present in the original "Robinson Crusoe."
● Robinson Crusoe is marooned on a desert island, while Susan Barton finds
herself stranded on a similar island.
● "Robinson Crusoe" is presented as a personal journal, and "Foe" is a self-
reflective narrative where Susan Barton seeks to share her story.

12. Survival Challenges
● Robinson Crusoe's solitary existence on the deserted island
symbolizes the quintessential struggle against the elements,
the harsh environment, and solitude.
● While Susan Barton's shipwreck in "Foe" echoes this primal
battle for survival.
● Crusoe's ability to fashion tools from the island's resources and
establish a semblance of civilization mirrors the survival
instincts in contemporary scenarios, such as disaster
preparedness, where individuals stockpile supplies and create
makeshift shelters when faced with unforeseen crisis.
● Similarly, Susan Barton's ordeal in "Foe" portrays a different
facet of survival. Her quest to share her story, assert her
voice, and secure a place in the world mirrors the
contemporary battle for recognition and representation.

13. ● The increased reliance on social media
and digital communication during the
COVID-19 pandemic highlights the theme
of isolation in the digital age. The
characters' longing for connection in
"Foe" mirrors contemporary feelings of
isolation in virtual spaces.
The story of Aron Ralston, who
survived a canyoneering accident
in Utah by amputating his own
arm, parallels the characters'
resourcefulness in the novels.
Just as Crusoe crafted tools from
his surroundings, Ralston used his
gear and wits to survive.
Aron Ralston

14. Movie adaptation
● Director: Thierry Chabert
● This 2003 film is a retelling of the classic story with a
different narrative and is unrelated to Defoe's work.
● Differences from the Novel: It's important to note
that this film takes creative liberties with the source
material. While the character names and the basic
premise are retained, the narrative differs significantly
from Defoe's novel.

15. Conclusion
In Conclusion, "Foe" can be seen as a deconstruction and
reinterpretation of "Robinson Crusoe." While both novels
share a common starting point, they diverge significantly in
terms of narrative perspective, themes, and their treatment
of colonial and postcolonial issues. "Foe" challenges the
colonial narrative of "Robinson Crusoe" and explores the
consequences of colonization and the silencing of
marginalized voices.

16. ● Chabert, Thierry, director. Robinson Crusoe. GMT Productions, 2003.
● Coetzee, J. M. Foe. Translated by Alejandro García Reyes, Alfaguara, 1988.
● Defoe, Daniel. “His-Story and Her-Story: A Comparative Study of Robinson
Crusoe and Foe.” Journal of Foreign Languages, Cultures & Civilizations,
2020, http://jflcc.com/journals/jflcc/Vol_8_No_2_December_2020/3.pdf.
Accessed 17 October 2023.
● Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. FINGERPRINT PUB, 2017.
● Karagoz, Cengiz, and Cengiz Karagöz. “(PDF) Robinson Crusoe and Foe:
Deconstruction of Colonial Discourse Through Tropical Invalidism.”
ResearchGate, 9 May 2023,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370595925_Robinson_Crusoe_and
_Foe_Deconstruction_of_Colonial_Discourse_Through_Tropical_Invalidism.
Accessed 18 October 2023.
References

17. References
● Mercure, Savannah. “Comparison of Robinson Crusoe and Foe – ENGLISH
123: Introduction to Fiction.” ENGLISH 123, 4 October 2018,
https://introtofictionf18.web.unc.edu/2018/10/comparison-of-robinson-
crusoe-and-foe/. Accessed 17 October 2023.
● Mutter, Reginald PC. “Daniel Defoe | English Novelist & Journalist.” Britannica,
22 September 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Defoe.
Accessed 17 October 2023.
● Shi, Flair Donglai. “';;.'” ';;' - YouTube, 9 March 2019,
https://www.academia.edu/19600888/_Post_colonialism_in_Post_modernism
_A_Comparative_Characterology_of_J_M_Coetzee_s_Foe_as_an_Appropriatio
n_of_Daniel_Defoe_s_Robinson_Crusoe_Subalternspeak_Journal_of_Postcolo
nial_Studies_Vol_4_no_1_2015_Oct_87_98_India_edi. Accessed 17 October
2023.

18. Thank you