Captain Singleton
Encyclopedia
The Life, Adventures and Piracies of the Famous Captain Singleton (1720) is a novel
by Daniel Defoe
. It is believed to have been partly inspired by the exploits of English pirate Henry Every
.
The narrative describes the life of an Englishman
, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies who eventually makes his way to sea.
One half of the book concerns Singleton's crossing of Africa
and the later half concerns his life as a pirate in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Defoe's description of piracy focuses for the most part on matters of economics
and logistics
, making it an intriguing if not particularly gripping read. Singleton's pirate behaves more like a merchant adventurer, perhaps Defoe's comment on the mercantilism
of his day.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
. It is believed to have been partly inspired by the exploits of English pirate Henry Every
Henry Every
Henry Every, also Avery or Avary, , sometimes given as John Avery, was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the mid-1690s. He likely used several aliases throughout his career, including Benjamin Bridgeman, and was known as Long Ben to his crewmen and associates...
.
The narrative describes the life of an Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
, stolen from a well-to-do family as a child and raised by Gypsies who eventually makes his way to sea.
One half of the book concerns Singleton's crossing of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the later half concerns his life as a pirate in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Defoe's description of piracy focuses for the most part on matters of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
, making it an intriguing if not particularly gripping read. Singleton's pirate behaves more like a merchant adventurer, perhaps Defoe's comment on the mercantilism
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the economic doctrine in which government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade. Mercantilism dominated Western European economic policy and discourse from...
of his day.