The Life of Daniel Defoe: A Critical Biography (Blackwell Critical Biographies) [Hardcover]

John Richetti (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631195297 | ISBN-13: 978-0631195290 | Publication Date: January 6, 2006 | Edition: 1

The Life of Daniel Defoe examines the entire range of Defoe’s writing in the context of what is known about his life and opinions.

A critical study of the writing of Daniel Defoe.

Features extended and detailed commentaries on Defoe’s political and religious journalism, as well as on his narrative fictions.

Places emphasis on Defoe’s distinctive style and rhetoric.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Richetti reminds us why so many of Defoe’s works are still worth reading … [The Life of Daniel Defoe] is a welcome addition to the family of biographies trying to render three-dimensional the man behind so many voices.”
Studies In English Literature 1500-1900

"Richetti does a remarkable job."
18th-Century Studies

"Richetti's contributions to the study of 18th century fiction have established him among the foremost critics…he has been brilliant in his treatment of Defoe."
1650-1850 Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

"Richetti conscientiously explains the political controversies that possessed Defoe … When he reaches his chapters on Defoe’s novels you get the eloquent condensation of his expertise."
London Review of Books

“[Richetti] brings us closer than any previous biographer to the personality that ‘must have been lurking somewhere behind the various voices that he projected’ over forty years of writing. This is an urbane, well informed, and interesting account, not only of Defoe but of the entire Defoe enterprise.” Scriblerian

Book Description

The Life of Daniel Defoe examines the entire range of Defoe's writing in the context of what is known about his life and opinions. The book provides a commentary on most of his voluminous political, religious, moral, and economic journalism, as well as on all of his narrative fictions. All these works are situated in the precise historical circumstances of the eighteenth century in which Defoe was an important and active participant. The biography focuses on Defoe's life and mind as it appears in his writing, and emphasises his distinctive style and rhetoric.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (January 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631195297
• ISBN-13: 978-0631195290
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,098,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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