Daniel Defoe: Political Writings (Including The True-Born Englishman, An Essay upon Projects, The Complete English Tradesman & The Biography of the Author)

Book excerpt: The creator of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe was quite politically active and that activism even resulted with his arrest, placement in a pillory and imprisoning. This collection represents his political activism and mirrors the true political climate in 18 th century England. His most successful poem, The True-Born Englishman is a political satire that defends the king against the perceived xenophobia of his enemies, satirizing the English claim to racial purity. Defoe's notable publication, An Essay upon Projects, is a series of proposals for social and economic improvement. The Complete English Tradesman is an example of Defoe's political works. He discusses the role of the tradesman in England in comparison to tradesmen internationally, arguing that the British system of trade is far superior. The work that finally got him arrested was a pamphlet The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters, which ruthlessly satirized the High church Tories and the Dissenters. Besides these, Defoe published a great number of political essays, pamphlets and tracts. The True-Born Englishman An Essay upon Projects The Complete English Tradesman Everybody's Business Is Nobody's Business Second Thoughts are Best The Shortest Way with the Dissenters And What if the Pretender Should Come? An Answer to a Question that Nobody Thinks of A Humble Proposal to the People of England Reasons against the Succession of the House of Hanover A Seasonable Warning and Caution against the Insinuations of Papists and Jacobites in Favour of the Pretender Daniel Defoe (1660 – 1731), was an English writer, journalist, and spy, most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is noted for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, and he is considered one of the founders of the English novel.