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Selkirk, Alexander
Selkirk, Alexander (1676–1721), British seaman and the model of Robinson Crusoe in the story by the same name written by Daniel Defoe (c.1660–1731). He was born in Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland. In 1703 he volunteered to become a member of the crew of a privateer, Cinque Ports, for a voyage to the South Seas. In 1705, after a violent disagreement with with his captain, Thomas Stradling, Selkirk asked to be marooned on the island of Juan Fernandez. He survived on the vegetables and fruit which grew there in abundance, and on the goats left there by the original Spanish discoverers of the island. He remained there until 1709 when he was rescued by Woodes Rogers (d. 1732) during the latter's circumnavigation. He was so good a seaman that Rogers put him in charge of one of the prize ships captured by the expedition.
After his return to England in 1711, Selkirk told his story to Richard Steele, who wrote an account of Selkirk's adventures which was seen by Daniel Defoe. Shortly after his return, Selkirk volunteered for the Royal Navy and at the time of his death was master's mate in HMS Weymouth. There is a statue of him on the wall of the house in Lower Largo in which he is thought to have been born. |
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Cite this article
"Selkirk, Alexander." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Selkirk, Alexander." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-SelkirkAlexander.html "Selkirk, Alexander." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-SelkirkAlexander.html |
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Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe. This fictional autobiography, published anonymously in 1719 by Daniel Defoe, has attained the status of myth. Although its indebtedness to the true story of the experiences of Alexander Selkirk has been greatly exaggerated, Crusoe's shipwreck and subsequent desert-island experience is central whether it is approached as traveller's tale, religious allegory, or proto-novel. Modern critics tend to follow Marx in discounting its religious burden, viewing it as an allegory either for the growth of capitalism or of western imperialism. Defoe cashed in on the original's tremendous success, publishing Farther Adventures (1719) and Serious Reflections (1720). The many imitations are known as Robinsonades.
J. A. Downie |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RobinsonCrusoe.html JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RobinsonCrusoe.html |
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Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe This fictional autobiography, published anonymously in 1719 by Daniel Defoe, has attained the status of myth. Although its indebtedness to the true story of the experiences of Alexander Selkirk has been exaggerated, Crusoe's shipwreck and subsequent desert‐island experience is central whether it is approached as traveller's tale, religious allegory, or proto‐novel.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RobinsonCrusoe.html JOHN CANNON. "Robinson Crusoe." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RobinsonCrusoe.html |
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Crusoe, Robinson
Crusoe, Robinson the hero of Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), who survives a shipwreck and lives on a desert island; the story is said to be based on that of the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721), who was marooned alone on one of the uninhabited Juan Fernandez Islands, 1704–9.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Crusoe, Robinson." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Crusoe, Robinson." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-CrusoeRobinson.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Crusoe, Robinson." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-CrusoeRobinson.html |
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Selkirk
Selkirk town (1991 pop. 9,815), SE Man., Canada, on the Red River. Just S of Lake Winnipeg, it is a port for products from N Manitoba. There are steel mills, foundries, and shipyards in the town. It is named for the 5th earl of Selkirk, who established (1812) the Red River Settlement in the region. |
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Cite this article
"Selkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Selkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Selkirk.html "Selkirk." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Selkirk.html |
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Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe, the castaway hero of Daniel Defoe's novel of the same name published in 1719. The story is based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, who was marooned on Juan Fernandez Island in 1704 for over four years. See also marine literature.
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Cite this article
"Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-RobinsonCrusoe.html "Robinson Crusoe." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-RobinsonCrusoe.html |
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Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe •basso, El Paso, Picasso, Sargasso, Tasso
•fatso, paparazzo, terrazzo
•Brasso
•espresso, gesso
•intermezzo, mezzo
•scherzo
•peso, say-so
•calypso, dipso
•schizo • Mato Grosso • torso • also
•amoroso, capriccioso, oloroso, so-so
•Caruso, Robinson Crusoe, Rousseau, trousseau
•so-and-so
•Curaçao, curassow
•Thurso, verso
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Cite this article
"Robinson Crusoe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Robinson Crusoe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-RobinsonCrusoe.html "Robinson Crusoe." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-RobinsonCrusoe.html |
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