The Swiss Family Robinson belongs to a class of stories that became popular throughout Europe after the publication of Robinson Crusoein 1719. The success of Defoe's book attracted many imitators. Epic fiction in the manner of Defoe's masterpiece was known at that time as "robinsoniad."

Probably the most amazing feature of The Swiss Family Robinson is that it has been a popular success for such a long time, even though it has little literary merit. The deficiencies simply do not matter. There is not much discernible plot in the conventional sense; the story begins with the shipwreck on the tropical island and proceeds placidly and episodically through the next ten years.

There is no rising action. Some adventures are slightly more exciting than others; some episodes are interrupted by long instructive digressions. At the end of the story an English ship arrives, and two of the children...