Robinson Crusoe's Great Spiritual Autobiography, Complete and Unabridged

This essay asks readers to view the Crusoe trilogy as a coherent spiritual autobiography in which each volume corresponds with phases in the hero's religious evolution. Unlike other characterizations of Crusoe that propose a journey of only the inner Christian life, I propose a journey that also turns outward toward a vision of Christianity that is focused on Christian power, even if it requires the use of violence to achieve it. I chart this journey through the analysis of key moments in the text. I see Defoe's voice as a projection of eighteenth-century Christians who fear being outnumbered by non-Christians.