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The son of a
London butcher, and educated at a Dissenters' academy, he was
typical of the new kind of man reaching prominence in England in
the 18th century — self-reliant, industrious, possessing a
strong notion of responsibility. He had by 1683 set himself up
as a merchant dealing in many different commodities. In spite of
his considerable savings Defoe went bankrupt in 1692. Defoe's
first important publication was An Essay upon Projects (1698),
but it was not until the poem The True-born Englishman (1701),
that he received any real fame. An ill-timed satire, The
Shortest Way with Dissenters (1702), an ironic defense of High
Church against nonconformists, resulted in Defoe's being
imprisoned. He was rescued by Robert Harley and later served the
statesman as a political agent. He turned to writing novels when
he was over fifty.
Defoe has been
called the father of modern journalism; during his lifetime he
was associated with 26 periodicals. From 1704 to 1713 he
published and wrote a Review, a miscellaneous journal concerned
with the affairs of Europe. He was nearly sixty when he turned
to writing novels. In 1719 he published his famous Life and
Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Based in part
on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, Robinson Crusoe
describes the daily life of a man marooned on a desert island.
Although there are exciting episodes in the novel, its main
interest lies in the way in which Crusoe overcomes the
extraordinary difficulties of life on the island. Robinson
Crusoe is considered by some critics to be the first true novel
in English. Defoe's great novels were not published under his
name but as authentic memoirs. Two excellent examples of his
semihistorical recreations are the picturesque adventure Moll
Flanders (1722), the story of a London prostitute and thief, and
an account of the 1665 great plague in London entitled A Journal
of the Plague Year (1722). His other major works include Captain
Singleton (1720), Colonel Jack (1722), Roxana (1724), and A Tour
through the Whole Island of Great Britain (1724-1727).
Defoe's writing is always straightforward and vivid, with an
astonishing concern for circumstantial detail.
Translate the
following sentences into English.
1. Привыкший полагаться только на себя, трудолюбивый,
обладающий высоко развитым чувством ответственности, Даниэл Дефо
был типичным представителем новых людей, выдвигавшихся в
Британии на первый план.
2. Торгуя различными товарами, Дефо имел значительные
накопления, но разорился.
3. Одна из его книг представляла из себя несвоевременную сатиру,
в которой он иронически «защищал» Высокую Церковь от нападок
нонконформистов.
4. За эту книгу его посадили в тюрьму, но он был освобожден
стараниями Роберта Харли, на службе которого он позднее
находился в качестве политического агента.
5. Дефо называют отцом современной журналистики за талант и
упорный труд в этой области: в течение жизни он был связан с 26
периодическими изданиями.
6. Он начал писать романы, когда ему было около 60 лет, и издал
несколько книг как подлинные мемуары.
7. К его основным работам относятся произведения
полуисторического характера, непосредственные и яркие, в которых
проявляется удивительное внимание к незначительным деталям.
1. Self-reliant and industrious, possessing a
strong notion of responsibility, Daniel Defoe was typical of the
new kind of man reaching prominence in England.
2. A merchant dealing in different commodities, Defoe had
considerable savings, but went bankrupt.
3. One of his books was an ill-timed satire, where he ironically
defended High Church against non-conformists.
4. For this book he was imprisoned but rescued by Robert Harley
and served him as a political agent.
5. Defoe has been called the father of modern journalism for his
talent and hard work in this field, as he was associated with 26
periodicals during his lifetime.
6. He turned to writing novels when he was nearly sixty and
published a number of books as authentic memoirs.
7. His major works include semihistorical recreations, in which
he is straightforward and vivid, and show astonishing concern
for circumstantial detail.
Из пособия "ЕГЭ. Английский язык.
Устные темы" Занина Е.Л. (2010, 272с.) - Part
two.
Additional topics.
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