The Robinsonade is a genre born out of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe
where the core thematic element is a protagonist separated from society by a lifealtering event and forced to survive with the resources available to him or her or
them. The solitary Robinsonade protagonist marooned in nature leads to a path of
self-enlightenment offered as model of the general eco-solitude experience. During
the process of writing a Robinsonade, narrative and historical considerations
include the author’s personal background that helps to shape the perceptions and
values on display. Over the span of nearly four centuries, the genre produced
versions of essentially the same story that are reliant in context of when, where, and
who it is written by. Authorial perspective thereby informs the intended and
unintended social commentary for which Robinson Crusoe has set the precedent
with Defoe’s engagement on the topics of colonialism and capitalism in his novel.
This reality of the Robinsonade, grounded in my influences and personal experience,
situates my novel with postcolonial discourse on globalism, multiculturalism,
hybridity, and economics. From this context, a perception of fluid existence of the
physical and spiritual self, aided by the cross-cultural experience, takes form in the
novel and articulated more critically in the commentary.