The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is washed up on a desert island. In his journal, he chronicles his daily battle to stay alive, as he conquers isolation, fashions shelter, and clothes enlist the help of a native islander who he names 'Friday', and fights off cannibals and mutineers. Written in an age of exploration and enterprise, it has been variously interpreted as an embodiment of British imperialist values, as a portrayal of 'natural man, or as a moral fable. But above all is a brilliant narrative, depicting Crusoe's transformation from a terrified survivor to a self-sufficient master of an island.