The Swiss Family Robinson -
PART 1 of 2 - FULL
Audio Book by
Johann David Wyss -
Classic Fiction
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 toward education is in line with the teachings of
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many of the episodes have to do with Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality, husbandry, acceptance, cooperation, 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, such as
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). But the novel differs in that it is modeled on Defoe's
Robinson Crusoe, a genuine adventure story, and presents a geographically impossible array of mammals, birds, reptiles, and plants (including the Bamboos, Cassavas,
Cinnamon Trees,
Coconut Palm Trees, Fir Trees, Flax,
Myrica cerifera,
Rice,
Rubber Plant Potatoes,
Sago Palms[disambiguation needed], and an entirely fictitious kind of Sugarcane) that probably could never have existed together on a single island for the children's edification, nourishment, clothing and convenience.
Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted.
Perhaps the best-known
English version is by
William H. G.
Kingston, first published in 1879. It is based on
Isabelle de Montolieu's 1813
French adaptation and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37) 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 that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by
W. H. Davenport Adams (1869--1910) and Mrs
H. B. Paull (1879). As
Carpenter and Prichard write in
The Oxford Companion 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, and identifies the novel as belonging to the Robinsonade genre, rather than as a story about a family named Robinson. (summary from wikipedia.org)
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Chapter listing and length:
Chapter 01 -- 00:18:47
Chapter 02 -- 00:21:19
Chapter 03 -- 00:18:04
Chapter 04 -- 00:15:01
Chapter 05 -- 00:09:51
Chapter 06 -- 00:06:43
Chapter 07 -- 00:09:06
Chapter 08 -- 00:10:02
Chapter 09 -- 00:09:57
Chapter 10 -- 00:09:10
Chapters 11 to 12 -- 00:19:14
Chapters 13 to 14 -- 00:10:49
Chapters 15 to 16 -- 00:10:24
Chapters 17 to 18 -- 00:12:22
Chapter 19 -- 00:12:44
Chapter 20 -- 00:11:02
Chapter 21 -- 00:13:13
Chapter 22 -- 00:09:09
Chapter 23 -- 00:08:39
Chapter 24 -- 00:17:35
Chapter 25 -- 00:14:57
Chapter 26 -- 00:13:36
Chapter 27 -- 00:12:08
Chapter 28 -- 00:11:34
Chapter 29 -- 00:13:49
Chapters 30 to 31 -- 00:18:38
Chapter 32 -- 00:24:01
Chapter 33 -- 00:12:34
Chapter 34 -- 00:17:09
Chapter 35 -- 00:09:19
For Chapters 36 - 58 (
The End) SEE PART 2
http://youtu.be/t4FbJWbIOGM
Total running time: 12:45:14 (Part
1 & 2)
Read by
Mark F.
Smith
This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer visit librivox.org.
- published: 25 Nov 2012
- views: 43284