Daniel Defoe（ca. 1660—1731）

Daniel Defoe, English novelist, pamphleteer, and journalist, is often considered the founder of the English novel. Although his father intended him for the ministry, Defoe involved himself in politics, trade and journalism, travelling abroad extensively. He earned fame and royal favor with his satirical poems. He once worked for both the Tory and the Whig governments. He published the periodical Review and wrote for it all by himself. As a writer, he remained enterprising until his death.

Defoe was the pioneer writing about believable characters in realistic situations with simple prose. His literary masterpieces include Robinson Crusoe（1719）about living on the isolated island after the shipwreck, and Moll Flanders（1722）about the adventures of a woman who is compelled to make her own way. His other major works are: A Journal of the Plague Year（1722）, Captain Jack（1722）and Roxana（1724）. Despite the negative reactions till the late 19th century, Defoe received widespread and serious critical attention in the 20th century, and his works have been analyzed in modern critical approaches. In his last years, Defoe also produced works involving the supernatural.