Defoe's characters are frequently categorized by modern critics as expressions of 'homo economicus'. What does this term mean in the context of his fiction?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Characters who view relationships, morals, and survival through economic calculation.
Ian Watt and other critics argue that Defoe's characters look at the world through a commercial ledger mindset. Whether shipwrecked on an island or navigating London's criminal underworld, they count inventory, calculate profit margins, and measure their moral status alongside their physical wealth. For Defoe's protagonists, spiritual peace is rarely attainable until financial independence is locked down.
Keep practicing
More Daniel Defoe questions
- In 'The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque' (1722), commonly known as 'Colonel Jack', what is the protagoni…
- How does the narrative structure of most of Defoe's major novels differ from the tightly plotted, interconnected models later used by Henry…
- What real-world event and historical figure provided the primary creative inspiration for Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe'?
- In 'Moll Flanders', after Moll becomes a highly successful and notorious professional thief in London, what specific punishment brings her…
- When Robinson Crusoe finds himself stranded on the 'Island of Despair', how does he visually organize his psychological situation to avoid…
- What is the complex narrative effect of the moralistic commentary that Defoe inserts into the memoirs of his rogue protagonists like Moll F…