Text: Foe
Task: Coparative writing

OBJECTIVES
Cultural:
Intertextual:
Linguistic:

Robinson Crusoe and Foe are both important novels for different reasons.

The first one was written in the 18th century by Daniel Defoe and it takes its name by the name of the protagonist, Robinson. It tells about a man that shipwrecks on a desert island. The second novel was composed in the 20th century by J.M. Coetzee and it a significant novel of postmodernism and postcolonialism as well-

Foe is a postmodern rewriting of Daniel Defoe's novel. Comparing the two texts we can note  analogies and differences.

First of all both novels use the theme of the shipwreck even if the matter is treated and presented in a different way.

Making a comparison between the first page of Foe and the chapter where Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist lands on a desert island a lot of interesting elements  can be seen . They are both told by a first person narrator that speaks from the point of view of the protagonist, respectively Robinson Crusoe and Susan Barton. Therefore there is only one voice and consequently the reader can't make up another idea of things.

But a woman's voice is different from a man's voice: Susan introduces the story telling about her pains, her feelings. She describe her arrival on the island even from the physical point-of-view; the reader has the feeling to be inside her mind and is able to create a picture of the woman's mood thanks to the use of metaphors. In Robinson Crusoe's description there is dynamism: the shipwreck is described through Robinson's movements. There is also a different approach to the context pof the sea: Robinson considers it like an enemy while Susan doesn't think of  the sea: she seems to be worried for her body. The vision of the island and the approach with it is also different: landing on the island Robinson feels that it is comfortable, while Susan immediately seeks help and then explores it: a further demonstration that Susan's portrait is an uncommon description, because it appeals to senses and and you can note the different  style and structure of the two novels. Foe's style recalls more the poetic language and resorts to  postmodernist devices in writing -  a multilayered type of writing. It makes use of simple syntax but hides the deep  meaning of the story.

On the contrary Robinson Crusoe is difficult to read but very simple to understand: it is the enumeration of facts.