Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe: Frame Story 1 key example

Frame Story
Explanation and Analysis—The Journal:

In Chapter 7 of the novel, Robinson inserts the text of his journal that details his day-to-day activities and impressions from his first year on the island into his retrospective narrative. This frame story feels somewhat clumsy to the reader, who may struggle to understand its function in the text. A story within a story usually offers a new narrative or new information—this one merely repeats what the reader already knows. The journal nonetheless has functions both for Robinson as a narrator and Robinson as a character.