Daniel Defoe
The Whole Frame of Nature, Time and Providence
This book offers a truly comprehensive analysis of Daniel Defoe's oeuvre from the perspective of an intellectual historian. Katherine Clark presents a new vision of Defoe by recovering the theological basis of his most important intellectual commitments. By charting Defoe's defence of these commitments over four decades of public debate, the book also sheds light on the changing cultural landscape of eighteenth-century Britainches The misidentification of Defoe as a Lockeian acolyte and celebrator of 'modernity' has obscured the theological underpinnings of his political and socio-economic thought. Equally, his fame as a journalist and novelist has overshadowed his role as a historical thinker. This study establishes Defoe as a crucial figure between James Harrington and David Hume in the evolution of theories about war and property, conquest and commerce, religious toleration and civil society.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fiction · Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
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Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
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A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-3339-7136-9
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL10559758M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
- Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
- What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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