The Representation of ill-Formed Relationship Between the Individual and Society in 18th Century Novels: Robinson Crusoe, Pamela and Joseph Andrews.

 

A novel is a fictitious work of prose presenting a picture of real life. The idea derived from the study of 18th-century novels, instead of depicting real-life issues, elaborately explains imagination, fantasy, and romanticism. In this era, man has preferred to involve the Almighty-the creator God in his most heart-touching affairs to indicate His praise and necessity in human beings' lives. Nature was considered so beneficial to mankind that it was included in the writings as an essential component of a triangle formed by God and man.
According to "William Blake Coleridge," imagination is always creative while the fantasy is productive. Both combine to produce romanticism. Imagination and fantasy are both a source of pleasure to the reader, while the former creates creativity and the latter does not. The renowned William Davis and William Wordsworth’s anthology of poems is a piece of creative art based on imagination. Besides romanticism, 18th-century novels show another perspective such as satire and irony that adapts the elevated heroic style of a classic epic poem to a trivial subject. More precisely, it can be taken as a mock epic in prose. Robinson Crusoe, Pamela, and Joseph Andrews are the creations that can be quoted as its examples. As the author of "Robinson Crusoe," Daniel Defoe created a religious, exploratory, and colonial novel in which the white man is superior to the black man. Daniel Defoe has spiritually created exploratory novels. His works are written in the form of fictional autobiographies or diaries to make them more realistic. In the beginning, his writing was not very much appreciated because he used to write on rebellious and political issues. The 18th century was the age of enlightenment, holding satire, social criticism, and idleness.
"Robinson Crusoe" by "Daniel Defoe" is a novel about the journey of Crusoe on the island. The novel is written in diary form and it is also known as a semi-biographical novel. This novel is inspired by the story of Alexander. "Robinson Crusoe" was a young and impulsive wanderer. He defied his father and went on voyaging and sailoring. He wanted to enjoy his life, and he went on vacation alone, against the will of his father. His father predicts that if his son goes abroad, he will be a miserable wretch before he was even born. His father’s prediction comes true sooner than anyone could have expected. Throughout this novel, we see that he contemplates his relationship with God and how much God is punishing him for his "wicked ways". He had little money in his pocket and he decided to travel to London by land, but soon he was distracted by his decision because he was afraid that his parents might be ashamed of him and his neighbors would make fun of him. Then he met a person who was a master of a ship and was about to go to the Guinea coast of Africa for trading. The master offered Crusoe the chance to come with him at no cost.
Then the master and Crusoe came into a strong friendship because the master was an honest and plain-dealing man. This voyage was the most successful of his. After they returned to London, their friend, the captain, fell ill and died. After his master’s death, Crusoe decided to go on his own again to the Guinea coast, and he took another hundred pounds with him. However, the trip was plagued with misfortune at the beginning. A Turkish Rover out of Sallee approached them in order to pirate them.
They tried to fight with them, but they did not have much equipment to fight with. As a result, Crusoe’s ship was captured, and he was taken prisoner and carried to the port of Sallee. Crusoe was not treated badly as his other members of the crew were handled. The master of the ship kept him as his personal slave. In a very short time, Crusoe was changed from a merchant to a miserable slave. Crusoe proved to be very faithful to his master. He used to catch fish in the absence of his master. "Crusoe lived on the island for about three years." "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe is a long, imaginative literary work. It was popular with the public and has never lost its appeal to adventurers and romance. Shipwreck is used to criticize society. This shows the disconnection between man and society. This novel is based on optimism, solitude, self-realization, self-explanation, and self-dependency. This novel is also called the "social and domestic novel. This novel also depicts religious and political freedom.
"Pamela", written by Samuel Richardson in 1740, contains a paradox, social criticism, the tension between higher and lower classes, idleness, and the exaggerated character of Pamela. This novel is described in the form of many letters. "Pamela" is a 16-year-old girl. She used to write everything to her parents. A woman is shown as the "protagonist" in 18th-century novels. "Pamela" is an epistolary novel at this time. It was the best novel at the time. This novel is about psychological development and human emotions. "Pamela" sets standards at this time. "Pamela" shows herself in the letters.
"Joseph Andrews" shows social criticism, religious criticism, class consciousness, occupations, and the presence of idiotic characters. 18th-century productions also hold a gothic section containing the mysterious dark presence of the supernatural, goblins, deserted places and abandoned honks, a crumbling mansion, dramatic landscapes, the supernatural, violence, and death-welcome to the world of gothic novels. The class differences, social injustice, religious hypocrisy, insensitive society, and money-mindedness are shown in Joseph Andrews. "Wuthering Heights" is referred to as a Gothic novel. Many writers used to write gothic novels in the 18th and 19th centuries. In these novels, a mysterious, passionate hero is essential to the gothic romance. Hauntings and the supernatural are very popular in gothic novels. At that time, travel to remote places was still very difficult, but the writers set their stories in dramatic and forbidding landscapes to add to the drama.
18th-century novels also focus on urbanization, industrialization, prosperity, a rise in the ratio of the reading public, the Victorian era, and scientific decolonization. Child psychology, orphanages, and child labor were also topics covered in these works. In this era, the novel has taken its place in society. "The Rise of the Novel" represents a genealogy created in the discipline of literature that considers the novel as a form of art, availing itself of distinctive uses of language, genre conventions, imaginative traditions, and discursive power, along with other forms of literature. Social norms, conflicts, and thoughts are also found in 18th-century novels.