swiss family robinson

For the 1940 film produced by RKO, see Swiss Family Robinson (1940 film)

For the 1960 film produced by Disney, see Swiss Family Robinson (film)

The Swiss Family Robinson  

Illustration for an English edition by Harry Rountree (1907) Author Johann David Wyss Original title Der Schweizerische Robinson Country Switzerland Language German Genre(s) Adventure novel Publisher Johann Rudolph Wyss (the author's son) Publication date 1812 Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback )

The Swiss Family Robinson (German: Der Schweizerische Robinson) is a novel, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family who are shipwrecked in the East Indies en route to Port Jackson , Australia.

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Character List
• 3 Other adaptations
• 4 References
• 5 Footnotes
• 6 See also
• 7 External links

History

Written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss , and edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss , the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world and self-reliance . Wyss's attitude towards education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and many of the episodes have to do with Christian-oriented moral lessons (frugality , husbandry , resignation , co-operation , etc). The adventures are presented as a series of lessons in natural history and the physical sciences and resemble other similar educational books for children in this period, for example, Charlotte Turner Smith 's Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons (1795), Rambles Further: A continuation of Rural Walks (1796), A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807). However the novel differs in that it is based on the model of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe , a genuine adventure story, and presents a geographically impossible array of mammals — including pangolins, porcupines, capybaras, camels, monkeys, lions, leopards, tigers, bears, onagers , peccaries, wild boars, tapirs, mustangs, kangaroos, elephants, hyenas, wolves, giraffes, jackals, walruses, platypuses, koalas, wombats, dingos, zebras, bison, rhinos, hippos, and moose — and a flora that probably could never have existed together — including the rubber plant, flax, coconut palms, sago palms , and Myrica cerifera — on a single island for the edification, nourishment, clothing, and convenience of the children

Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the most well known English version is by William H. G. Kingston first published in 1879. It is based on Isabelle de Montolieu 's 1824 French adaptation and continuation Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfans in which were added further adventures of Fritz, Franz, Ernest, and Jack. Other English editions which claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869-10) and Mrs H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companon to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured." The closest English translation to the original is William Godwin 's 1816 translation, reprinted by Penguin Classics.

Although movie and TV adaptations typically name the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name; the "Robinson" of the title refers to Robinson Crusoe . The German name translates as the Swiss Robinson, imply a Swiss version of Robinson Crusoe, rather than a Swiss family named Robinson.

Map of "New Switzerland"

Character List

• The Father-He is the narrator of the story and leads the family.
• Elizebeth (The Mother)-She stays at home and cooks, grows, and prepares food. She worries a lot about her sons.
• Fritz-The sweetest of the four sons,very thoughful and loves dreaming about sheep he is good at shooting, riding, and later goes back to Europe in the end.
• Ernest-The second oldest of them, Ernest is an intelligent, at-first lazy boy.
• Jack-The third oldest, he is thoughtless, bold, and vivacious.
• Franz-The youngest of all, he usually stays home with the mother. He also returns to Europe.

Other adaptations

Book sequels

• Willis the pilot : a sequel to The Swiss family Robinson; or, Adventures of an emigrant family wrecked on an unknown coast of the Pacific Ocean (1858) has been attributed to Johann Wyss or to Johanna Spyri , author of Heidi .
• Second Fatherland (Seconde Patrie, 1900), by Jules Verne takes up the story at the point where Wyss's tale left off. It has also been published in two volumes, Their Island Home and Castaways of the Flag.

The novels in one form or another have also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing locale and/or time period:

Film versions

• Al-Ṭurfa al-Šahiyya fī aḫbār al-ʿAʾila al-Swīsiyya - Arabic translation (ca 1900)
• Swiss Family Robinson (1940 film)
• Swiss Cheese Family Robinson (Mighty Mouse episode, 1947)
• Swiss Family Robinson (1960 Disney film)
• The Swiss Family Robinson (1976)
• Mountain Family Robinson (1980)
• The New Swiss Family Robinson (1998 film)
• The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson (1998)

Television series

• English Family Robinson (1957)
• Lost in Space (1965-68) TV series
• Swiss Family Robinson (1974) - Canadian series starring Chris Wiggins
• Swiss Family Robinson (1975) - American series starring Martin Milner
• The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island - (1981) anime series.
• The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson (1998) - New Zealand series

Made for TV movies

• The Swiss Family Robinson (1958)
• The Swiss Family Robinson (1973)
• The Swiss Family Robinson (1973)
• The Swiss Family Robinson (1975)
• Beverly Hills Family Robinson (1998)
• The New Swiss Family Robinson (1998)
• Stranded (2002)

Comic book series

• Space Family Robinson (1962 to 1984)

Computer adventure game

In 1984, Tom Snyder Productions created a game for the Apple II and Commodore 64 , published under the Windham Classics label. The player takes the role of Fritz, the eldest brother.

• Swiss Family Robinson (computer game)

References

• Weber, Marie-Hélène (1993). Robinson et robinsonnades : étude comparée de "Robinson Crusoe" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de J.R. Wyss, "L'Ile mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa majesté des mouches" de W. Golding, "Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique" de M. Tournier, Ed.. Universitaires du Sud.