Robinson Crusoe - in the Footsteps of/Following an Economic Man 3700-AL-RCSCE-qDP
First published 300 years ago, Robinson Crusoe has become an integral part of the canon of European literature. It has been translated into dozens of languages, has had thousands of editions around the world, as well as hundreds of book alterations and film adaptations. The scholar studies examining the phenomenon of popularity and the impact of Daniel Defoe's novels are also huge. Relatively rarely, however, was Robinson seen as a prototype of an economic man who was an emblematic figure of nascent capitalism. The course will focus exactly on this aspect.
In the first stage, the class will comprise a deep reading of Robinson Crusoe, with an emphasis on the economic themes present in the novel: money, property, slave trade, piracy, European expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries, and Robinson's resourcefulness and entrepreneurship. The second part of the couse will explore Defoe's inspirations; famous commentaries and interpretations of the novel; its influence on economic thought, as well as selected adaptations of the castaway plot. The latter show that the Robinson theme and its economic activities ignite the people’s minds also today.
The course will combine the perspectives of cultural anthropology, history, literary studies and economic philosophy.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Assessment criteria
The final grade consists of three components:
- preparation and active participation in class discussions
- 10 in-class quizzes. The questions in quizzes will pertain to assigned readings and will be signalized to students in advance.
- 10-15-minute in-class presentation delivered on a topic proposed by or consulted with the professor presenting a selected adaptation of the castaway plot
Student can miss maximum two classes without justification. Extensive undocumented absenteeism will result in taking down points from participation part and – in case of more than 4 undocumented absences – will lead to failing the class.
Bibliography
Anthony R., Pirates in the Age of Sail, New York 2007.
Buck-Morss S., Hegel, Haiti i historia uniwersalna, Warszawa 2014.
Dampier W., A New Voyage round the World, [first edition London 1697]
Defoe D. Przypadki Robinsona Kruzoe, przeł. J. Birkenmajer, Wroclaw 2002.
Defoe D., Robinson Crusoe, edited with an introduction by T. Keymer, Oxford 2007.
Equiano O., The interesting narrative and other writings, New York 2003.
Grapard U., Robinson Crusoe: The quintessential economic man?, Feminist Economics, 1:1 (1995), pp. 33-52.
Hollis M., Nell E., Rational Economic Man: A Philosophical Critique of Neo-Classical Economics, New York 1975.
Kramnick I. (ed.), The Portable Enlightement Reader, New York 2016.
Mandeville B., Bajka o pszczołach, Warszawa 1957.
Marks K., Kapitał, cz. 1, Warszawa 1951.
Marsjanin, reż. R. Scott, 2015.
Montaigne M., Próby, Warszawa 2002.
Pivetti, The King of Mars: The Martian's Scientific Empire and Robinson Crusoe, in: The Cinematic Eighteenth Century: History, Culture, and Adaptation, S. Swaminathan and S. Thomas (eds.), New York 2017, pp. 118-138.
Rogers W., A Voyage to the South Sea, and around the World [first edition London 1712].
Smith A., Badania nad naturą i przyczynami bogactwa narodów, Warszawa 1954.
Watt I., Myths of modern individualism: Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Robinson Crusoe, Cambridge 1996.
Wolf E., Europa i ludy bez historii, Kraków 2009.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: