The Swiss Robinson

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The Swiss Robinson or Schweizerischer Robinson , known in the English-speaking world as the Swiss Family Robinson , in the Czech as Švýcarský Robinson and in French as Le Robinson suisse , is a literary work and a Robinsonade : an adaptation of the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe .

Emergence

The Bernese city ​​pastor Johann David Wyss wrote the story between 1794 and 1798 and told it to his four children. One of his sons, Johann Rudolf Wyss , then prepared it for publication.

The first part of the Swiss Robinson appeared in 1812 under the title Der Schweizerische Robinson or the Shipwrecked Swiss Preacher and His Family. An instructive book for children and children-friends about town and country and consisted of a total of two volumes (the second and third part appeared in 1827 and 1828, respectively). The book is a colorful mixture of textbook and adventure novel . In it the reader learns more about the special features of the sun at the equator , about whales and other animal species. The early editions in particular were richly illustrated with copper engravings .

Since the work in its original version was not intended for printing, it was later modified in various ways, which were mainly limited to shortening the numerous excursions. In particular, however, the translator expanded the first French edition on her own as she did not yet have all of the chapters.

Charles Nicolas Lemercier created the illustrations .

content

The stranded family includes the father, a pastor who tells the adventures, his wife, the four boys Fritz (16 years), Ernst (14 years), Jakob / Jack (12 years) and Franz (9 years) as well as the two mastiffs Türk and Bill . You want to start a new life on the Spice Islands . On the way to Australia they are shipwrecked in the middle of the Indian Ocean as a result of a severe storm , but they can still rescue various objects and animals from the ship to a tropical island. Here they learn to use the tools available and the things discovered on the island and how to use them. So the family builds a tree house , learns to hunt and fish and leads a simple but contented life. After more than ten years, the English shipwrecked Jenny ends up on the deserted island. She is taken into the family by the Robinsons. Some time later, an English ship approaches the island. The parents decide to stay with some of the children on “New Swiss Country” and grow old there. Fritz and Franz separate from the family together with Jenny and travel back to Europe.

style

The book is written from a first-person perspective. The children master the enormous challenges of everyday life with remarkable sovereignty and autonomy, which was especially appreciated by the underage audience. At the same time, the father evaluates practically every one of her actions in an emphatically pious and moral way, which probably made the book particularly “instructive” in the eyes of contemporary adults.

example

In a scene at the beginning of the book, Fritz returns from the hunt with prey, which he initially hides behind his back in order to surprise his family with it. The father promptly comments:

“So you did a good hunt,” I said seriously, “and you allowed yourself an untruth. You should never do this even in jest; for every untruth taints an open mind, and only too easily does it degenerate into ugly features. "
Fritz regretted [...]

family name

The surname is not explicitly mentioned in the book, in particular it does not claim that the surname is Robinson - instead the preface of some early editions frankly admits that the story is one of many copies of the Defoeschen Robinsonade. Since the book is written from a first-person perspective and the author is Johann (David and / or Rudolf) Wyss, the reader must assume that the book describes the adventures of the Wyss family .

International success and reception

Swiss Family Robinson

The book was also a great and lasting success outside of German-speaking countries. The novel influenced the work of Jules Verne , who wrote a sequel to the story published in 1900 under the title The Second Fatherland ( Seconde Patrie ). Verne also took inspiration from this book for Uncle Robinson , an unfinished novel from 1869 to 1870, and for his 1882 novel The Robinsons' School .

Among the numerous film adaptations of the material, the one by Walt Disney with the title Jungle of 1000 Dangers ( Swiss Family Robinson ) from 1960 is probably best known. Directed by Ken Annakin , it stars John Mills , Dorothy McGuire , James MacArthur , Tommy Kirk , Kevin Corcoran and Janet Munro .

The motive of the stranded family, which together tearing her and beats together, also provided the template for the US television series Lost in Space ( Lost in Space ) and their Netflix adaptation Lost in Space . Both series have in common that the family bears the name Robinson. Nippon Animation produced a 50-part animated series based on the material in 1981, which was also broadcast in Germany as the Robinson family .

In 2002, the two-part American television film was Shipwrecked ( Stranded ), directed by Charles Beeson .

Book editions

There are numerous greatly abridged or newly retold edits of the original text.

literature

  • Hannelore Kortenbruck-Hoeijmans: Johann David Wyß '"Swiss Robinson". Document of the educational-literary zeitgeist on the threshold of the 19th century. Schneider-Verl. Hohengehren, Baltmannsweiler 1999. (= series of publications of the German Academy for Children's and Young People's Literature Volkach e.V .; 23) ISBN 3-89676-113-7
  • Marie-Hélène Weber: Robinson et robinsonnades. Etude comparée de "Robinson Crusoë" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de JR Wyss, "L'île mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa Majesté des mouches" de W. Golding, "Vendredi ou Les limbres du Pacifique" de M. Tournier. Ed. Univ. du Sud, Toulouse 1993. ISBN 2-7227-0039-5
  • Verena Rutschmann: The Swiss Robinson - a narrated encyclopedia, in: Ingrid Tomkowiak (ed.), Popular Encyclopedia. From the selection, order and mediation of knowledge , Zurich 2002, pp. 159–173.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d J. R. (sic!) Wyss: "Swiss Robinson or the shipwrecked Swiss preacher and his family - an instructive book for children and friends of children"; Orell, Füßli and Comp .; Zurich, 1841
  2. ^ Johann David Wyss: The Swiss Robinson. A reading for young people by Jules Verne and its effects (accessed June 2, 2010)
  3. ↑ Readable online at: https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/wyssjd/schwrobi/schwrobi.html

Web links