The Swiss Family Robinson

The Swiss Robinson or Swiss Robinson, in the English language as Swiss Family Robinson known, is a literary work and a Robinson Crusoe: an adaptation of the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

Formation

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

The first part of the Swiss Robinsons appeared in 1812 under the title The Swiss Robinson or the shipwrecked Swiss preacher and his family. An instructive book for children and children's friends to town and country was a total of two volumes (the second and third part appeared in 1827 or 1828). The book presents itself as a mix of textbook and adventure novel dar. In it, the reader learns more details about the specifics of the sun at the equator, about whales and other species. In particular, the early issues were richly illustrated with engravings.

Since the work was not determined in its original version for printing, it later underwent various treatments, limited mainly to the reduction of the numerous digressions. In particular, however, the first French edition of the translator on your own was extended because you are not yet available all the chapters.

The illustrations were made Charles Nicolas Lemercier.

Content

For the stranded family includes the father, a pastor, who narrates the adventures, his wife, four children, Fritz (16 years ), Ernst (14 years), Jacob / Jack (12 years ) and Franz (9 years ) and the two Great Danes Turk and Bill. You want to start a new life on the Spice Islands. On the way to Australia they are middle of the Indian Ocean shipwrecked as a result of a major storm, but can still various everyday objects and animals from the rescue ship on a tropical island. Here they learn with the existing tools and with the things discovered on the island of deal with it and to use it. So the family is building a tree house, learns to hunt and fish and leads a simple but contented life. After over ten years decides to move the English castaways Jenny on the abandoned island. It is picked up by the Robinsons in the family. Some time later, the island is approaching an English ship. The parents decide to stay with some of the children on " New Swiss Country " and there to be old. Fritz and Franz separate together with Jenny on the other hand by the family and travel back to Europe.

Style

The book is written in first-person perspective. Dealing with the children the enormous challenges of everyday life remarkably confident and autonomous, which was probably particularly savored the underage audience. At the same time the father rated virtually any of their actions on religious - stressed moraline way what the book in the eyes of contemporary adults probably particularly " instructive " made ​​.

Example

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

Family name

The family name is not explicitly mentioned in the book, in particular it is not alleged that the surname Robinson would be - instead, are the preface of some early issues freely admit that we are dealing many copies of Defoeschen Robinsonade the story is a. Since the book is written from the first-person perspective and is specified as an author Johann (David and / or Rudolf) Wyss, the reader must assume that in the book the adventures of the Wyss family are described.

International success

The book is a great and lasting success had granted outside the German language area. Among the numerous film adaptations of the substance that of Walt Disney with the title of the 1000 jungle hazards ( Swiss Family Robinson) from 1960 is probably the best known. Directed by Ken Annakin play in John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran and Janet Munro the lead roles. The design of the stranded family, which together tearing her and beats together, providing the starting point for the American television series Lost between alien worlds ( Lost in Space ). Nippon Animation produced in 1981, a 50 -part animated series based on the fabric, which was also broadcast in Germany as a family Robinson.

The novel had an influence on the works of Jules Verne, who wrote a continuation of the story, which was published in 1900 under the title The second Fatherland ( Seconde Patrie ). In addition, Verne had from this book to the novel Uncle Robinson, an unfinished novel from the period 1869 to 1870, and inspired to write his novel The School of Robinsons from 1882.

Book editions

There are numerous highly abbreviated or edits retelling of the original text.

• Johann David Wyss: The Swiss Robinson. With illustrations by Charles Nicolas Lemercier. 13 original edition. Orell Füssli, Zurich 1975, ISBN 3-280-00797-6. ( Originalgetreueste version.)
• The Swiss Robinson. By Johann David Wyss. Retold by Peter Stamm. Willi glass Auer ( images ), Peter von Matt ( epilogue ). S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-596-85507-0.