The Swiss Family Robinson: a New Translation From the Original German
 Frontispiece from the 1851 American edition by John Gilbert | |
| Author | Johann David Wyss |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Schweizerische Robinson |
| Translator | William H. G. Kingston |
| Illustrator | Johann Emmanuel Wyss |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Language | German |
| Genre | Adventure fiction |
| Publisher | Johann Rudolph Wyss (the author's son) |
| Publication date | 1812 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 323 |
The Swiss Family unit Robinson (German: Der Schweizerische Robinson) is a novel by Johann David Wyss, outset published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose send en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwrecked in the East Indies. The coiffure of the ship is lost, but the family and a number of domestic animals survive. They make their way to shore where they build a settlement, undergoing a number of adventures before they are rescued; some of them pass up rescue and remain on the island.
The volume is the nearly successful of a large number of "castaway novels" that were written in response to the success of Robinson Crusoe. It has gone through a large number of versions and adaptations.
History [edit]
Written by Swiss writer, Johann David Wyss, edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss, and illustrated by some other son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his 4 sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural earth and self-reliance. Wyss' attitude towards its didactics is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and many chapters involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality, husbandry, acceptance, and cooperation.[1]
Wyss presents adventures as lessons in natural history and physical scientific discipline. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. These include Charlotte Turner Smith's Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons (1795), Rambles Farther: A continuation of Rural Walks (1796), and A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807). But Wyss' novel is also modeled afterward Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, an adventure story almost a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719.[1]
The volume presents a geographically impossible array of big mammals and plants that probably could never have existed together on a unmarried island, for the children's education, nourishment, habiliment and convenience.
Over the years there take been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perchance the all-time-known English language version is by William H. K. Kingston, beginning published in 1879.[i] Information technology is based on Isabelle de Montolieu's 1813 French adaptation and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37) Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'united nations père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants in which were added farther adventures of Fritz, Franz, Ernest, and Jack.[1] Other English language editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869–1910) and Mrs H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured."[i] The closest English language translation to the original is that of the Juvenile Library in 1816, published by the husband and wife squad William Godwin and Mary Jane Clairmont, reprinted by Penguin Classics.[2]
Although movie and television adaptations typically proper noun the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name. The German title translates as The Swiss Robinson which identifies the novel as part of the Robinsonade genre, rather than a story virtually a family named Robinson.
Plot [edit]
The Map of "New Switzerland"
The novel opens with the titular family unit in the concur of a sailing ship, weathering a great storm. The ship'southward crew evacuate without them, and William and Elizabeth and their four sons (Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz) are left to survive alone. As the ship tosses virtually, William prays that God will spare them.
The ship survives the nighttime and the family finds themselves within sight of a tropical desert island. The next morning, they determine to get to the isle they can see beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out of tubs. Afterwards they fill the tubs with nutrient and ammunition and all other articles of value they tin safely carry, they row toward the isle. Two dogs from the ship named Turk and Juno swim beside them. The ship's cargo of livestock (including a moo-cow, a donkey, two goats, half-dozen sheep, a ram, a hog, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons), guns and pulverisation, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled pinnace and provisions have survived.
Upon reaching the isle, the family set upward a makeshift army camp. William knows that they must ready for a long time on the island and his thoughts are every bit much on provisions for the future as for their immediate wants. William and his oldest son Fritz spend the next day exploring the island.
The family unit spends the next few days securing themselves against hunger. William and Fritz make several trips to the ship in their efforts to bring ashore everything useful from the vessel. The domesticated animals on the send are towed back to the island. There is as well a great shop of firearms and armament, hammocks for sleeping, carpenter's tools, lumber, cooking utensils, silverware, and dishes. Initially they construct a treehouse, but as time passes (and after Elizabeth is injured climbing the stairs down from information technology), they settle in a more permanent domicile in role of a cave. Fritz rescues a young Englishwoman named Jenny Montrose who was shipwrecked elsewhere on their island.
The volume covers more than ten years. William and older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens in diverse sites nearly the island. In the end, the begetter wonders if they will e'er over again see the rest of humanity. Eventually, a British ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the isle and is discovered by the family. The captain is given the journal containing the story of their life on the island which is somewhen published. Several members of the family choose to proceed to live tranquilly on their island while several of them return to Europe with the British.
Characters [edit]
The principal characters of the volume (including Isabelle de Montolieu's adaptations and continuation) are:
- Pastor – The patriarch of the family. He is the narrator of the story and leads the family. He knows an enormous corporeality of information on nearly everything the family unit comes beyond, demonstrating bravery and self-reliance.
- Elizabeth – The loving mother of the family. She is intelligent and resourceful, arming herself even before leaving the transport with a "magic purse" filled with supplies, including sewing materials and seeds for food crops. She is also a remarkably versatile cook, taking on anything from porcupine soup to roast penguin.
- Fritz – The oldest of the iv boys, he is 15. Fritz is intelligent but impetuous. He is the strongest and accompanies his father on many quests.
- Ernest – The second oldest of the boys, he is 13. Ernest is the most intelligent, but a less physically agile boy, often described by his father every bit "indolent". Similar Fritz however, he comes to be an splendid shot.
- Jack – The tertiary oldest of the boys, 11 years former. He is thoughtless, bold, vivacious, and the quickest of the grouping.
- Franz (sometimes translated every bit Francis) – The youngest of the boys, he is eight years old when the story opens. He usually stays abode with his mother.
- Turk – The family unit'southward English domestic dog.
- Juno – The family's Danish dog.
- Nip (as well called Knips or Nips in some editions) – An orphan monkey adopted by the family unit afterward their dogs Turk and Juno have killed his mother. The family unit uses him to examination for poisonous fruits.
- Fangs – A jackal that was tamed by the family.
In the novel, the family is not called "Robinson" as their surname is not mentioned. Notwithstanding, in 1900, Jules Verne published The Castaways of the Flag (alternatively known every bit Second Fatherland), where he revisits the original shipwreck. In this sequel, of the family's final years on the original island, the family is called Zermatt.[3]
Other adaptations [edit]
The novels in 1 form or some other accept also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing location and/or time period:
Book sequels [edit]
- Willis the Airplane pilot: a sequel to The Swiss family Robinson; or, Adventures of an emigrant family wrecked on an unknown coast of the Pacific Sea (1858) has been attributed to Johann Wyss or to Johanna Spyri, author of Heidi.
- 2nd Fatherland (Seconde Patrie, 1900), by Jules Verne takes up the story at the point where Wyss's tale left off. It has also been published in 2 volumes, Their Isle Home and Castaways of the Flag.
- Return to Robinson Island (2015), by T. J. Hoisington, based on the original 1812 Swiss Family Robinson novel.[4]
Sound adaptations [edit]
In 1963, the novel was dramatized by the Tale Spinners for Children series (United Artists Records UAC 11059) performed by the Famous Theatre Visitor.
Film versions [edit]
- Al-Ṭurfa al-Šahiyya fī aḫbār al-ʿAʾila al-Swīsiyya, Arabic translation (c. 1900)
- Swiss Family Robinson (1940 film)
- Swiss Cheese Family Robinson (Mighty Mouse short, 1947)
- Swiss Family Robinson (1960 Walt Disney live-activeness movie)
- The Swiss Family unit Robinson (1976)
- Lost in Space (1998)
Made-for-TV movies [edit]
- Beverly Hills Family unit Robinson (1998)
- The New Swiss Family Robinson (1998) — Starring Jane Seymour, James Keach, and David Carradine
- Stranded (2002)
Idiot box series [edit]
- English Family Robinson (1957)
- Lost in Infinite (1965–1968) – A science fiction accommodation in which the Robinsons are a family of explorers whose spacecraft goes off course.
- Swiss Family unit Robinson (1974) — Canadian serial starring Chris Wiggins
- Swiss Family Robinson (1975) — American serial starring Martin Milner
- The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island (1981) — A Japanese anime series.
- The Swiss Family Jetson (1986) – An episode of the animated series The Jetsons modeled after Johann Wyss'due south volume.
- The Adventures of Swiss Family unit Robinson (1998) — New Zealand series starring Richard Thomas.
- Lost in Infinite (2018 – 2021) – A Netflix adaptation of the 1965 Lost in Space.
- Swiss Family unit Robinson (TBA) – A Disney+ accommodation currently in development.
Comic book series [edit]
- 'Swiss Family Robinson' (1947) Classics Illustrated adaptation of the original novel
- Infinite Family Robinson (1962–1984) – science fiction adaptation
- Swiss Family Mouse n' Sons (c. 1962) - straight adaptation with the Disney characters playing the roles
Stage adaptations [edit]
- Swiss Family Robinson written by Jerry Montoya and performed at B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California in 2009.
Figurer adventure game [edit]
- Swiss Family Robinson created in 1984 by Tom Snyder Productions for the Apple II and Commodore 64, published under the Windham Classics label. The player takes the role of Fritz, the eldest brother.
Parody [edit]
- The New Swiss Family Robinson by Owen Wister (1882).
See also [edit]
- The Beauteous Crichton
- Cast Abroad
- The Coral Isle
- Lost in Space
- Robinson Crusoe
Footnotes [edit]
- ^ a b c d e "A Note on Wyss'due south Swiss Family unit Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text" past Ellen Moody.
- ^ John Seelye, ed. The Swiss Family Robinson. Penguin Classics. 2008. ISBN 978-0-14-310499-5.
- ^ "New Switzerland, Jules Verne's Imaginary Shipwreck Sanctuary".
- ^ "TJ Hoisington Pens the First Swiss Family Robinson Sequel in Over 100 Years".
References [edit]
- Weber, Marie-Hélène (1993). Robinson et robinsonnades: étude comparée de "Robinson Crusoe" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de J.R. Wyss, "Fifty'Ile mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa majesté des mouches" de West. Golding, "Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique" de M. Tournier, Ed. Universitaires du Sud.
- Wyss, Johann. The Swiss Family Robinson, ed. John Seelye. Penguin Classics, 2007. The just entire complete text genuinely by Wyss (and his son) currently in print.
External links [edit]
- The Swiss Family Robinson, bachelor at Internet Archive (original edition scanned books with illustrations in color)
- The Swiss Family unit Robinson, available at Google Books (original edition scanned books with illustrations)
- The Swiss Family Robinson at Project Gutenberg (apparently text and HTML). Version unknown, ca. 1850, missing two pages of text.
- The Swiss Family Robinson at Project Gutenberg (plain text). Kingston's 1879 translation.
- "A Note on Wyss'southward Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston'south 1879 text", past Ellen Moody. Information near the book and its many versions.
-
The Swiss Family Robinson public domain audiobook at LibriVox
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swiss_Family_Robinson
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