Daniel Defoe, Essay on Projects

Katherine Frank (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Domains

Political Philosophy

Dates

First circulation or publication 1697

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Essays/ Lectures (any)

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Defoe’s

Essay Upon Projects

, published in 1697, was his first full-length work, and also one of the few that he openly acknowledged: he signed the Preface with his initials D F. The

Essay

is very much a work of its time. The Royal Society, established in 1660, was flourishing. Newton, Boyle, Hooke and Halley were all active and it was also a period of rapid commercial expansion and technological development during which Britain was to emerge as the dominant power in world trade. Applied science had a dramatic impact on both industry and trade and as a businessman and spokesman for mercantile interests, Defoe was particularly interested in how the new ways of thinking about both the material and the social world could lead to improvements in personal wealth and social organisation. Defoe…

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1672 words

Citation: Frank, Katherine. "Essay on Projects". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5293, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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