Svolgi i seguenti 24 esercizi sul tema 'The rise of the novel: Defoe and Swift'. Lavora in inglese quando possibile e usa il quaderno per gli esercizi aperti. Rispondi con cura, motivando le scelte negli esercizi a risposta aperta.
- In which decade did the English novel firmly establish itself as a new literary form?
- A) 1620s
- B) 1720s
- C) 1820s
- D) 1920s
- Which social class is generally considered the main new audience for the eighteenth-century novel?
- A) The rural aristocracy
- B) The Catholic clergy
- C) The urban middle class of merchants and professionals
- D) The military officers of the navy
- Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719 and is generally considered one of the first realistic novels in English.
- Vero / Falso
- Gulliver's Travels was written by Daniel Defoe as a celebration of the British Empire.
- Vero / Falso
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Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish clergyman who served as Dean of ___ Cathedral in Dublin.
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In Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist spends about ___ years alone on the island before meeting Friday.
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Match each character or place with the correct work. | Colonna A | Colonna B | |---|---| | Lilliput | Robinson Crusoe | | Friday | Gulliver's Travels | | The Houyhnhnms | Moll Flanders | | Newgate Prison | Gulliver's Travels |
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Match each narrative feature with the literary effect it produces in early novels. | Colonna A | Colonna B | |---|---| | First-person narration | Reality effect, illusion of authenticity | | Lists of objects, prices and dates | Suggestion that the story really happened | | Fake editorial preface | Sense of a long, eventful journey | | Episodic plot structure | Intimacy between reader and protagonist |
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Which of the following is NOT one of the four lands visited by Gulliver?
- A) Lilliput
- B) Brobdingnag
- C) Eldorado
- D) Laputa
- Which adjective best describes Defoe's view of human nature?
- A) Pessimistic and misanthropic
- B) Optimistic and trusting in individual effort
- C) Mystical and otherworldly
- D) Cynical and aristocratic
- Moll Flanders is the story of a respectable noblewoman who never breaks the law.
- Vero / Falso
- The growth of literacy and of cheap printing was an important precondition for the rise of the novel.
- Vero / Falso
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In the fourth voyage of Gulliver's Travels, the rational horse-like creatures are called ___.
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In Lilliput, the two political factions disagree about which end of an ___ should be broken first.
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Which technique do both Defoe and Swift use to make their narratives feel authentic?
- A) Mythological references to Greek gods
- B) Detailed inventories, dates and place names
- C) Long Latin quotations
- D) Verse interludes between chapters
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Explain in 4-5 lines why Robinson Crusoe can be considered a portrait of Protestant middle-class values.
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Describe in 4-5 lines how Swift uses the change of scale (tiny Lilliputians, giant Brobdingnagians) to criticise European society.
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Compare Defoe's Crusoe and Swift's Gulliver as narrators: how do they speak to the reader, how reliable do they appear, and what overall vision of humanity do they convey?
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Discuss the historical and cultural factors that made the rise of the novel possible in early-eighteenth-century England. Refer to at least three factors and give concrete examples.
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You must prepare a 3-minute oral presentation comparing one episode from Robinson Crusoe and one from Gulliver's Travels. Plan it step by step.
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Write a brief literary analysis (about 120 words) of the opening pages of Robinson Crusoe. Describe how Defoe builds realism step by step.
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In your opinion, which is more useful for understanding the eighteenth century: a realistic novel like Robinson Crusoe or a satirical fantasy like Gulliver's Travels? Justify your answer with at least two arguments.
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Imagine a modern Crusoe shipwrecked on an uninhabited island with only a smartphone with no signal. Write the opening paragraph of his diary, imitating Defoe's plain style and use of concrete details.
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Identify two narrative techniques that Defoe and Swift share, and explain in 3-4 lines why these techniques became standard in later novels.