Most Popular Books by Johann David Wyss

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Swiss Family Robinson: Large Printauthor: Johann David WyssThis edition (c)2000 by Pink Tree Press

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The Swiss Family Robinson is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwrecked in the East Indies.

Johann David Wyss is best remembered for his book The Swiss Family Robinson. It is said that he was inspired by Defoe''s Robinson Crusoe, but wanted to write a story from which his own children would learn, as the father in the story taught important lessons to his children. It has since become one of the most popular books of all time. The book was edited by his son, Johann Rudolf Wyss, a scholar who wrote the Swiss national anthem. Another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, illustrated the book.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss is a book containing the fictional and episodic adventures of a family of six--a father, a mother, and four sons. The father''s name is William, and he is not only the brave, knowledgeable leader of the family, but also the narrator of the story. His wife, Elizabeth, is intelligent and resourceful, evidenced by the fact that she takes with them a magical bag full of supplies including sewing materials and seeds. She can also cook a meal out of almost everything, from porcupine to penguin.William and Elizabeth''s oldest son, Fritz, is fifteen years old. While he''s intelligent like his mother, he''s also impetuous. He''s brave too, and accompanies William into potentially dangerous situations. After Fritz, there''s Ernest, who is thirteen years old. He''s even more intelligent than Fritz, but less active, and so he doesn''t go with William as often as Fritz does. Jack is the next oldest boy at eleven years old. Bold and thoughtless, Jack is quick-thinking. Franz, or Francis, is the youngest member of the Robinson family. He is only eight years old and typically stays with Elizabeth.Understanding the main characters is crucial to understanding the book because since the story is episodic, there isn''t an overarching plot line.The story begins with the six Robinsons aboard a ship. The ship is in rough seas during a storm, and the other passengers evacuate the ship, leaving the Robinsons to survive on their own. William prays for their salvation. After surviving the night, the family sees a tropical island ahead. They manage to create a small vessel on which they can reach the island, and fill it with provisions including food and ammunition. They row toward the island with two dogs, Turk and Juno, paddling along beside them.Once they make landfall, they construct a camp. Though it''s temporary, William knows they will need a more permanent place to live on the island, and sets off exploring with Fritz to find out what the island has to offer. For their first few days on the island, they focus on securing enough food so that they won''t starve. They return frequently to the ship, where much cargo, including livestock, survived the storm. The cargo also includes supplies and tools that allow the Robinsons to live in relative comfort in a permanent camp, first in a treehouse and then in a cave.In his explorations, Fritz meets Jenny Montrose, a young Englishwoman who was shipwrecked on another part of the island. Ten years later, Jenny ends up being the family''s salvation when a ship comes in search of her. In the meantime, those ten years are filled with adventures on the island. Once the ship comes and offers them rescue, some of the family return to Europe while others opt to stay on the island. The journal that detailed their ten years of adventures is published into a book.The Swiss Family Robinson launched a number of adaptations, including everything from television movies to comic book series and even computer video games. These adaptations have kept the Robinson family''s adventures alive throughout the years. Johan David Wyss wrote the book with the intention of imparting upon his four sons the values of resourcefulness and self-reliance, as well as what he considered to be strong moral values.The title was not meant originally to be about a family with the surname Robinson. Instead, the title The Swiss Family Robinson is based on the word Robinsonade, which is a literary genre of fiction based on the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a famous fictional explorer created by novelist Daniel Defoe in 1719. A Robinsonade can be broadly described as a castaway story, or a story that takes place on a desert island. In cinema, one example of a Robinsonade story is the movie Castaway, starring Tom Hanks. Castaway isn''t about a family''s resourcefulness, but rather one man, a sole survivor who ends up befriending a volleyball in order to keep his sanity...