Shipwrecks and the Reinvention of Self in Homer, Shakespeare, Defoe, and the Modern World

FAIN: FB-52192-06

James V. Morrison
Centre College of Kentucky (Danville, KY 40422-1309)

Homer, Shakespeare, and Defoe--and their literary descendants--probe the opportunities shipwreck disasters offer for personal transformation and a better society. I examine three "classical" models (THE ODYSSEY, THE TEMPEST, and ROBINSON CRUSOE) and twentieth-century adaptations of these works, including Walcott's works, other fiction, and several movies. My special interest concerns how literary shipwrecks are linked to the idea of the re-invention of self with respect to possible new roles and relationships. The historical context is also addressed, for in some cases real-life "triggers" may have inspired these works. My ultimate goal will be to explain why this archetypal scene continues to resonate today.

Associated Products

Shipwrecked: Disaster and Transformation in Homer, Shakespeare, Defoe, and the Modern World (Book)
Title: Shipwrecked: Disaster and Transformation in Homer, Shakespeare, Defoe, and the Modern World
Author: James V. Morrison
Abstract: na
Year: 2014
Publisher: Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
Type: Single author monograph
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Shipwreck, Survival, and Storytelling in Homer, the Renaissance, and the Modern World (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Shipwreck, Survival, and Storytelling in Homer, the Renaissance, and the Modern World
Author: james v morrison
Abstract: This talk covers the basic features of shipwreck narratives as found in Homer's Odyssey, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, with particular emphasis on potential transformations of the shipwrecked survivor. Challenges to the survivor and the importance of storytelling by survivors will be explored in greater depth.
Date: 11/13/2015

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