Defoe, Daniel

(1660-1731)

   Born in London, the son of a butcher, he became a hosiery merchant, traveling widely on the Continent. He took part in the Monmouth Rebellion (1685) and in 1688 joined the advancing forces of William III. He was popular with the king after the publication of his poem "The True Born Englishman" (1701). He served two prison sentences: one for his pamphlet The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (1702) attacking the Anglican Church, and the other for an attack in his newspaper, The Review, on the Whig opposition. He was a secret agent for the Tory government, gathering information and testing the political climate. Defoe is considered to be the founder of British journalism and the first true novelist. Some of his publications: Robinson Crusoe, 1719. Captain Singleton, 1720. Journal of the Plague Year, 1722. Captain Jack, 1722. Moll Flanders, 1722. Roxanda, 1724. Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain, 1724-1727. London the Most Flourishing City in the Universe, 1728. Some of his other poems: "Hymn to the Pillory" (written while in Newgate Prison), "Reformation of Manners," "The Spanish Descent," "The Vision."

   Sources: Anthology of Poems on Affairs of State: Augustan Satirical Verse, 1660-1714. George de F. Lord, ed. Yale University Press, 1975. Biography of Daniel Defoe (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jdefoe.htm). Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Oxford Book of Travel Verse. Kevin Crossley-Holland, ed. Oxford University Press, 1986. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.