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Crusoe & his Parrot (frontispiece)
Sir John Gilbert, R. A.
1867?
Steel-engraving
11 cm high x 6.7 cm, vignetted
Initial illustration for Daniel Defoe's Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, facing engraved title-page.
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
Besides these I always kept two or three household kids about me, whom I taught to feed out of my hand; and I had two more parrots, which talked pretty well, and would all call "Robin Crusoe," but none like my first; nor, indeed, did I take the pains with any of them that I had done with him. [Chapter XIII, "The Wreck of a Spanish Ship"]
During the rainy season, often confined indoors, Crusoe would occasionally take a break from mechanical work by talking to the parrot and "teaching him to speak" (102). He was successful in getting the parrot to say his own name ("Poll"), which was memorable in so far as it "was the first word [he] had ever heard spoken by any mouth but [his] own" (102). The actual passage in which Poll welcomes Crusoe home does not occur in the accompanying text, which the publishers have somewhat abridged, shortening considerably the portion of the story that falls between Crusoe's arrival on the island and the flight of Friday from the cannibals. The conventional expectation of readers about Crusoe's relationship with Poll the Parrot is based on the following passage:
I got over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest my limbs, for I was very weary, and fell asleep; but judge you, if you can, that read my story, what a surprise I must be in when I was awaked out of my sleep by a voice calling me by my name several times, "Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe: poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?"
I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with rowing, or part of the day, and with walking the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but dozing thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to me; but as the voice continued to repeat, "Robin Crusoe, Robin Crusoe," at last I began to wake more perfectly, and was at first dreadfully frightened, and started up in the utmost consternation; but no sooner were my eyes open, but I saw my Poll sitting on the top of the hedge; and immediately knew that it was he that spoke to me; for just in such bemoaning language I had used to talk to him and teach him; and he had learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon my finger, and lay his bill close to my face and cry, "Poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been? How came you here?" and such things as I had taught him.
However, even though I knew it was the parrot, and that indeed it could be nobody else, it was a good while before I could compose myself. First, I was amazed how the creature got thither; and then, how he should just keep about the place, and nowhere else; but as I was well satisfied it could be nobody but honest Poll, I got over it; and holding out my hand, and calling him by his name, "Poll," the sociable creature came to me, and sat upon my thumb, as he used to do, and continued talking to me, "Poor Robin Crusoe! and how did I come here? and where had I been?" just as if he had been overjoyed to see me again; and so I carried him home along with me. [Chapter X, "Tames Goats"]
The plate constitutes something of a genre painting in black-and-white as Gilbert has surrounded Crusoe with the animals who are his sole companions until Friday's arrival: Poll, the ship's dog, and two cats — who quickly multiple, run wild, and become a general nuisance. But this is a golden moment, when Crusoe, now wearing goatskins rather than European clothing, lives in close quarters but perfect harmony with these domestic animal-companions. Doubtless Jean-Jacques Rousseau would have approved, too, of the simple table, the humble bowl, and the serviceable bootle — if not the cask of spirits salvaged from the wreck. Curiously, among the principal illustrators of the novel, neither Stothard nor Phiz has much interest in Crusoe's animal companions, whereas Cruikshank has a delightful rendition of Crusoe's teaching Poll to speak as the other animals watch this amusement for the rainy season.
Left: Thomas Stothard's resourceful Crusoe has settled in to island life, Crusoe at work in his cave (1790). Centre: George Cruikshank's charming 1831 realisation of Crusoe and the quiet interior of his cave, Crusoe and Poll the Parrot in dialogue (Chapter IX, "A Boat"). Right: The children's book illustrator emphasizes Crusoe's living in harmony with his many animal companions in Robinson Crusoe reading the Bible (1818).
De Foe, Daniel. The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Written by Himself. Illustrated by Gilbert, Cruikshank, and Brown. London: Darton and Hodge, 1867?].
Last modified 16 February 2018
