The Swiss Family Robinson By Johann David Wyss
Johann David WyssThe Swiss Family Robinson has been a bestseller since it was first published in 1812, well over 200 years ago. It is an epic tale of adventure and survival. It opens with a shipwreck and is written by Swiss clergyman Johann David Wyss (1743–1818). A boat bringing a family of immigrants to a faraway colony is pushed onto a reef just off the coast of an unknown tropical island. The seamen abandon ship in lifeboats, leaving the Swiss family to fend for themselves. They ride out the storm, improvise a raft out of empty barrels, and make their way to the island. Fortunately, the ship is well-stocked with food, tools, guns, and everything else they'll need to stay alive. They went out to explore their new surroundings once they were back on dry land. They establish a new life together and make many remarkable discoveries using their brains, resourcefulness, and ship's goods...
The novel's family consists of a father, a Swiss priest (like the author), his wife, and their four kids, Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz, who range in age from eight to fifteen years old. Robinson is not the surname of the family. The title of the book is a reference to Daniel Defoe's adventure novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published over a century ago in 1719. The story of a lone sailor who lives after being stranded on a desert island is told in Defoe's novel. This thrilling story went on to inspire plays, poems, and books, including The Swiss Family Robinson, a children's book.
Pastor Wyss, like the father in the narrative, had four boys. His tale began as a bedtime story for his own children. The novel's father keeps a diary of the family's activities on the island "for the teaching and pleasure of my children, but it is also conceivable that it may be beneficial to other young people," says the father.
The goal of the book is to teach children about nature, survival, self-reliance, and cooperation. ‘I want to see my boys strong, both morally and physically,' the father says of his sons. That means being brave enough to do what is right and good, and strong enough to labor, hunt, and provide for themselves and others, as well as battle if required.' There is a strong Christian message in the narrative as well. The island turns out to be brimming with hundreds of valuable plants and animals, all supplied for the family's benefit by God or Providence.
In 1812, barely four years before the author's death, The Swiss Family Robinson was published. Johann Rudolf Wyss, his eldest son, edited it, and Johann Emmanuel Wyss, another son, illustrated it. It was an instant hit, and within a few years, it had been translated from German to French, English, and other European languages. Baroness Isabelle de Montolieu, the French translator, added a few more episodes and modified the conclusion. Most editions of the novel, including this audiobook, have her additions.
So, why is The Swiss Family Robinson such a hit? Its major draw is that it is a classic adventure narrative that has captivated readers for almost two centuries. Most of us have fantasized about how we might fare if we were left on a desert island. This book covers all you need to know about how to accomplish it! The plot develops quickly as the family faces a variety of deadly creatures and other perils. We watch in awe as they utilize their intellect, wisdom, and resourcefulness to tame wild creatures and solve difficulties of all kinds. On the island, they build several houses, including a treehouse and a mystical cave.
A variety of publications produced specifically for young people in the early nineteenth century taught them about nature and emphasized the need of hard labor, obedience, and concern for others. However, most of them were dull and uninteresting, unlike The Swiss Family Robinson. Since its publication, the novel has spawned a slew of sequels, including books, TV shows, and films. The novel was popularized by a Walt Disney film produced in 1960, which brought a new generation of readers to it.
Certain elements of the narrative may be unpleasant or difficult to accept for modern readers. The island, for example, appears to be almost too beautiful. It is astonishingly well-stocked with creatures from all over the world, including bears, kangaroos, lions, walruses, ostriches, and flamingos. All of these are impossible to find on a single tiny island. Rice, manioc, tea, bamboo, flax, and cotton are just a few of the world's most useful plants found on the island. New plants are said to grow and bloom all year without needing to be maintained. Some readers may find all of this to be a little too convenient, while others may find some incidents to be improbable.
In terms of the human occupants of the island, the father may be a little too perfect for our current tastes. The narrative is recounted entirely from his perspective, and he is invariably correct about everything, possessing an encyclopedia's worth of information about the world's flora, animals, minerals, science, and technology. Consider how one of the sons or the mother might tell the tale while you listen. Some readers may be unhappy that the family does not have any girls with whom to enjoy the trip, or angered by the mother's position. She is primarily restricted to camp, where she tends for the youngest kid, Franz, and is an exceptional chef and seamstress. Even if she disagrees with her spouse, circumstances nearly always show that he is correct. Some readers may also believe that there is too much focus on killing animals in these conservation-conscious times! These parts of the novel, however, represent the sentiments of the period.
Many readers appear to have been dissatisfied with the original conclusion when it was originally published. The family endures on the island for two years until being rescued by a ship. The captain receives his father's journal, which is subsequently published, but the crew is forced to abandon ship due to a storm. On the island, the family continues to live peacefully. After ten years on the island, the sons have all grown up when another survivor joins them, this time a lively female character who helps to correct the island's gender imbalance. Translator Isabelle de Montolieu added some chapters, including encounters with a giant snake and lions, and a new ending: after ten years on the island, the sons have all grown up when another survivor joins them, this time a lively female character who helps to correct the gender imbalance on Most editions of the book, like the one recounted here, permitted these modifications to stand and became part of them.
The tempest had raged for six days, and on the seventh seemed to increase. The ship had been so far driven from its course, that no one on board knew where we were. Every one was exhausted with fatigue and watching. The shattered vessel began to leak in many places, the oaths of the sailors were changed to prayers, and each thought only how to save his own life. “Children,” said I, to my terrified boys, who were clinging round me, “God can save us if he will. To him nothing is impossible; but if he thinks it good to call us to him, let us not murmur; we shall not be separated.” My excellent wife dried her tears, and from that moment became more tranquil. We knelt down to pray for the help of our Heavenly Father; and the fervour and emotion of my innocent boys proved to me that even children can pray, and find in prayer consolation and peace.