The Rise of the Novel Through the Rise of the Middle Class

The rise of the modern novel is described as being intertwined with the emergence of a middle-class in British society and elsewhere. This emerging middle-class became the audience that authors started to address and this shift of attention from the upper class to the middle class can be seen in many authors’ works. Both Daniel Defoe and Charles Dickens address the benefits of living in a middle class society in their novels, Robinson Crusoe and Great Expectations. 

In the first chapter of Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe is describing his current life allotment, being the third son of his family and therefore not having any clear expectations of grandeur. He at one point expresses to his father his discontent with his life and his desire to set sail on a ship and seek his fortune. After hearing this, Crusoe’s father becomes distraught and sets out describing all the benefits that arise from being part of the middle class. He tries to instill in Crusoe a sort of pride and gratification for his social status. 

Defoe, by placing this glorification of the middle class within the first few pages of the novel is using the conversation as a device to lock in his readers. Any middle class person reading this book would take that passage as a sort of praise thereby encouraging them to read more. 

Crusoe however, despite his father’s speech is still discontented with his lot in life and sets sail anyway. Yet, he is continuously met with hardships; the first being a severe storm, then enslavement in Africa and finally being washed up on a deserted island. All three of these events just strengthen Crusoe’s father’s argument that he should be content with the middle class and stop trying to fight Providence.