Lyrics:

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson
Crusoe. Published in 1719, it was an immediate success and is considered
the classic adventure story. There are several incidents that may have
inspired the tale, although none of them exactly mirrors Defoe's thrilling
yet didactic narrative. The plot is now universally known - the sailor
stranded on a desert island who learns to tame the environment and the
native population. The character of Friday, Crusoe's trusty companion
and servant, has become almost as famous as Crusoe himself and their
master-servant relationship forms one of the principal themes in the
novel. Robinson Crusoe has been interpreted in myriad ways, from
colonial fable to religious instruction manual to capitalist tract; although
arguably above all of these, it is perhaps best known today as a children's
story. With:Karen O'BrienPro-Vice Chancellor for Education at the
University of Birmingham Judith HawleyProfessor of Eighteenth-Century
Literature at Royal Holloway, University of LondonBob OwensEmeritus
Professor of English Literature at the Open UniversityProducer: Natalia
Fernandez.