With a page-length title promising thrilling adventures in exotic locations, Captain Singleton is often viewed as an attempt by Defoe to capitalize upon the success achieved by Robinson Crusoe, which had been published a year earlier and had already merited a sequel. The novel comprises two distinct halves, the first recording an arduous but ultimately profitable journey across Africa, and the second tracing the titular hero's successful career as a pirate through to his reformation and retirement to England. Like Crusoe, the novel is indebted to the nonconformist tradition of spiritual autobiography, epitomised by Bunyan's Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and The Pilgrim's Progress, …
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Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 February 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=366, accessed 26 November 2024.]
