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{{short description|Book by Johann David Wyss}}
{{about|the original novel|later adaptations|The Swiss Family Robinson (disambiguation)}}
{{about|the original novel|later adaptations|The Swiss Family Robinson (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox book
{{Infobox book
| name = The Swiss Family Robinson
| name = The Swiss Family Robinson
| title_orig = Der Schweizerische Robinson
| title_orig = Der Schweizerische Robinson
| translator =
| orig_lang_code = de
| image = Frontispiece fly4.jpg
| translator = William H. G. Kingston
| caption = frontispiece from the 1851 American edition by John Gilbert
| image = The Family Robinson Crusoe, 1816.png
| caption = Frontispiece to the first English translation of The Swiss Family Robinson, 1816
| author = [[Johann David Wyss]]
| illustrator = [[Johann Emmanuel Wyss]]
| author = [[Johann David Wyss]]
| cover_artist =
| illustrator = Johann Emmanuel Wyss
| country = [[Switzerland]]
| cover_artist =
| language = [[German language|German]]
| set_in = [[East Indies]], early 19th century
| series =
| country = [[Switzerland]]
| genre = [[Adventure fiction]]
| language = German
| publisher = Johann Rudolph Wyss (the author's son)
| series =
| release_date = 1812
| oclc =
| dewey = 833.6
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] and [[Paperback]])
| congress = PZ7.W996 S
| pages = 50
| genre = Adventure fiction<br>[[Robinsonade]]
| isbn =
| publisher = Johann Rudolph Wyss
| preceded_by =
| release_date = 1812
| english_release_date =
| followed_by =
| media_type = Print (Hardcover and paperback)
| pages = 328
| isbn =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| native_wikisource =
| wikisource = The Swiss Family Robinson
}}
}}

'''''The Swiss Family Robinson''''' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a [[novel]] by [[Johann David Wyss]], first published in 1812, about a [[Switzerland|Swiss]] family shipwrecked in the [[East Indies]] en route to [[Port Jackson]], [[Australia]].
'''''The Swiss Family Robinson''''' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'', "The [[Swiss people|Swiss]] Robinson") is a novel by the Swiss author [[Johann David Wyss]], first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to [[Port Jackson]], [[Australia]] goes off course and is shipwrecked in the [[East Indies]]. The ship's crew is lost, but the family and several domestic animals survive. They make their way to shore, where they build a settlement, undergoing several adventures before being rescued; some refuse rescue and remain on the island.

The book is the most successful of a large number of "[[Robinsonade]]" novels that were written in response to the success of [[Daniel Defoe]]'s ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'' (1719). It has gone through a large number of versions and adaptations.


==History==
==History==
Written by Swiss pastor [[Johann David Wyss]], edited by his son [[Johann Rudolf Wyss]] and illustrated by another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world and self-reliance. Wyss' attitude toward education is in line with the teachings of [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]] and many episodes involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as [[frugality]], [[husbandry]], [[acceptance]] and [[cooperation]].<ref name=moody>[http://www.jimandellen.org/montolieu/robinsonsuisse.html "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text"] by Ellan Moody.</ref>
Written by Swiss writer Johann David Wyss, edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss, and illustrated by another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good farming, the uses of the natural world, and self-reliance. Wyss's attitude toward its education is in line with the teachings of [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], and many chapters involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as [[frugality]], [[Animal husbandry|husbandry]], [[acceptance]], and [[cooperation]].<ref name=moody>[http://www.jimandellen.org/montolieu/robinsonsuisse.html "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text"] by Ellen Moody.</ref>


Wyss presents adventures as lessons in a natural history way and [[physical sciences]]. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. These include [[Charlotte Turner Smith]]'s ''Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons'' (1795), ''Rambles Farther: A continuation of Rural Walks'' (1796), ''A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807)''. But Wyss' novel is also modeled after [[Daniel Defoe]]'s ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'', an adventure story about a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719 and the source of the "Robinson" in the title "Swiss Family Robinson".<ref name=moody/>
Wyss presents adventures as lessons in [[natural history]] and [[physical science]]. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. These include [[Charlotte Turner Smith]]'s ''Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons'' (1795), ''Rambles Farther: A continuation of Rural Walks'' (1796), and ''A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons'' (1807). But Wyss's novel is also modeled after [[Daniel Defoe]]'s ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'', an adventure story about a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719.<ref name=moody/>


The book presents a geographically impossible array of large mammals and plants that probably could never have existed together on a single island, for the children's education, nourishment, clothing, and convenience.
The book presents a geographically impossible array of large [[mammal]]s (including [[antelope]]s, [[brown bear]]s, [[capybara]]s, [[cheetah]]s, [[dingo]]s, [[elephant]]s, [[giraffe]]s, [[Hippopotamus|hippos]], [[hyena]]s, [[jackal]]s, [[kangaroo]]s, [[koala]]s, [[leopard]]s, [[lion]]s, [[monkey]]s, [[moose]], [[muskrat]], [[mustang]]s, [[onager]]s, [[pangolin]]s, [[Peccary|peccaries]], [[platypus]]es, [[porcupine]]s, [[Rhinoceros|rhinos]], [[tapir]]s, [[tiger]]s, [[walrus]]es, [[wild boar]]s, [[Gray wolf|wolves]], [[wombat]]s, and [[zebra]]s), birds (including [[black swan]]s, [[blue jay]]s, [[bustard]]s, [[duck]]s, [[eagle]]s, [[falcon]]s, [[flamingo]]s, [[grosbeak]]s, [[heron]]s, [[Common ostrich|ostriches]], [[parakeet]]s, [[parrot]]s, [[peafowl]]s, [[penguin]]s, [[Columbidae|pigeon]]s, and [[snipe]]s), and [[plant]]s (including the [[bamboo]]s, [[cassava]]s, [[cinnamon]] trees, [[coconut]] [[Arecaceae|palm trees]], [[Fir|fir trees]], [[flax]], ''[[Myrica cerifera]]'', [[rice]], [[Para rubber tree|rubber plant]], [[potato]]es, [[sago palm]]s, and an entirely fictitious kind of [[sugarcane]]) that probably could never have existed together on a single island for the children's education, nourishment, clothing and convenience.


An 1814 French adaptation by [[Isabelle de Montolieu]] and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37), ''Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants,'' added further adventures of Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz.<ref name="moody" />
Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the best-known English version is by [[William H. G. Kingston]], first published in 1879.<ref name=moody/> It is based on [[Isabelle de Montolieu]]'s 1813 French adaptation and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37) ''Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants'' in which were added further adventures of Fritz, Franz, Ernest, and Jack.<ref name=moody/> Other English editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869–1910) and Mrs H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in ''The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature'' (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured."<ref name=moody/> The closest English translation to the original is [[William Godwin]]'s 1816 translation, reprinted by Penguin Classics.<ref>John Seelye, ed. ''The Swiss Family Robinson''. Penguin Classics. 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-14-310499-5}}</ref>

The closest English translation to the original is that of the Juvenile Library in 1816, published as ''The Family Robinson Crusoe, or, Journal of a Father Shipwrecked, with his Wife and Children, on an Uninhabited Island'', in two volumes, by the husband-and-wife team [[William Godwin]] and [[Mary Jane Clairmont]][https://archive.org/details/family-robinson-crusoe-v1/page/n6/mode/1up][https://archive.org/details/family_robinson_crusoe_v2/mode/2up], reprinted by Penguin Classics.<ref>John Seelye, ed. ''The Swiss Family Robinson''. Penguin Classics. 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-14-310499-5}}.</ref>

Since then, there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the best-known English version is by [[William H. G. Kingston]], first published in 1879.<ref name="moody" /> It is translated from the German "with the omission of the long sententious lectures found in the original."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wyss |first=Johann David |url=https://archive.org/details/swissfamilyrobin00wyss_6/page/n7/mode/2up |title=The Swiss Family Robinson |date=1882 |publisher=New York, G. Routledge & sons |others=The Library of Congress |pages=8}}</ref> Around the same year, an abridged version of 112 pages by "I. F. M." was published, which told the story entirely in words of only one syllable (excepting some proper nouns, ''i.e''. Robinson).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wyss |first=Johann David |url=https://archive.org/details/swissfamilyinwor00wyssiala/mode/2up |title=The Swiss Family Robinson: In Words of One Syllable |last2=I. F. M. |date=1879 |publisher=New York: McLoughlin Bros., Publishers |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref>

Other English editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869–1910) and [[Susanna Mary Paull|Mrs. H. B. Paull]] (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in ''The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature'' (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured."<ref name="moody" />


Although movie and television adaptations typically name the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name. The German title translates as ''The Swiss Robinson'' which identifies the novel as part of the [[Robinsonade]] genre, rather than a story about a family named Robinson.
Although movie and television adaptations typically name the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name. The German title translates as ''The Swiss Robinson'' which identifies the novel as part of the [[Robinsonade]] genre, rather than a story about a family named Robinson.


==Plot==
==Plot==
[[Image:New Switzerland.jpg|right|thumb|The Map of "New Switzerland."]]
[[Image:New Switzerland.jpg|right|thumb|The Map of "New Switzerland"]]
The novel opens with a Swiss family in the hold of a sailing ship, weathering a great storm. The ship's crew evacuates without them, so William, Elizabeth, and their four sons (Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Francis) are left to survive alone. As the ship tosses about, William prays that God will spare them.
{{more plot|date=January 2012}}
The novel opens with the family in the hold of a sailing ship, weathering a great storm. The ships' passengers evacuate without them, and William and Elizabeth and their four children (Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Francis) are left to survive alone. As the ship tosses about, the father - William - prays that [[God]] will spare them.


The ship survives the night and the family finds themselves within sight of a tropical [[desert island]]. The next morning, they decide to get to the island they can see beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out of tubs. After they fill the tubs with food and [[ammunition]] and all other articles of value they can safely carry, they row toward the island. Two [[dog]]s from the ship named Turk and Juno swim beside them. The ship's cargo of [[livestock]] (including [[chicken]]s, [[domestic duck]]s, [[Domestic goose|domestic geese]], and [[domestic pigeon]]s), guns & powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled [[Pinnace (ship's boat)|pinnace]], and provisions have survived.
The ship survives the night, and the family finds themselves within sight of a tropical [[desert island]]. The following day, they decide to get to the island they can see beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out of tubs. After they fill the tubs with food, ammunition, and other items of value they can safely carry, they row toward the island. Two dogs from the ship, Turk and Juno, swim beside them. The ship's cargo of livestock (including a cow, a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons), guns and powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled [[Pinnace (ship's boat)|pinnace]] and provisions have survived.


Upon reaching the island, the family set up a makeshift camp. The father knows that they must prepare for a long time on the island and his thoughts are as much on provisions for [[the future]] as for their immediate wants. William and his oldest son Fritz spend the next day exploring the island.
Upon reaching the island, the family set up a makeshift camp. William knows that they must prepare for a long time on the island and his thoughts are as much on provisions for the future as on their immediate wants. William and his oldest son Fritz spend the next day exploring the island.


The family spends the next few days securing themselves against hunger. William and Fritz make several trips to the ship in their efforts to bring ashore everything useful from the vessel. The [[domesticated animals]] on the ship are towed back to the island. There is also a great store of [[firearms]] and ammunition, [[hammocks]] for [[sleeping]], [[Carpentry|carpenter’s]] tools, lumber, [[cooking utensils]], [[Household silver|silverware]], and dishes. Initially they construct a treehouse, but as time passes (and after Elizabeth is injured climbing the stairs down from it), they settle in a more permanent dwelling in part of a cave. Fritz rescues a young Englishwoman (Jenny Montrose) shipwrecked elsewhere on their island.
The family spends the next few days securing themselves against hunger. William and Fritz make several trips to the ship to bring everything useful from the vessel ashore. The domesticated animals on the ship are towed back to the island. There is also a great store of firearms and ammunition, hammocks for sleeping, carpenter's tools, lumber, cooking utensils, silverware, and dishes. Initially, they construct a treehouse, but as time passes (and after Elizabeth is injured climbing the stairs down from it), they settle in a more permanent dwelling in part of a cave. Fritz rescues a young Englishwoman named Jenny Montrose, who was shipwrecked elsewhere on their island.


The book covers more than ten years. The father and older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens in various sites about the island. At the end, the father wonders if they will ever again see the rest of [[Human|humanity]]. Eventually a [[Great Britain|British]] ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the island and is discovered by the family. The captain is given the journal containing the story of their life on the island which is eventually published. Several members of the family choose to continue to live tranquilly on their island while several of them return to [[Europe]] with the British ship.
The book covers more than ten years. William and the older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens at various sites about the island. Ultimately, the father wonders if they will ever see the rest of humanity again. Eventually, a British ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the island and is discovered by the family. The captain is given the journal containing the story of their life on the island, which is eventually published. Several family members continue to live tranquilly on their island, while several return to Europe with the British.


==Characters==
==Characters==

* '''William''' – The father. He is the narrator of the story and leads the family. He knows an mous mou of infoment on almost everything the family comes across, demonstrating bravery and self-reliance.
The principal characters of the book (including [[Isabelle de Montolieu]]'s adaptations and continuation) are:
* '''Elizabeth''' – The grandmother. She is intelligent and resourceful, arming herself even before leaving the ship with a "magic bag" filled with supplies, including sewing materials and seeds for food crops. She is also a remarkably versatile [[Cook (profession)|cook]], taking on anything from [[Porcupine]] Soup to Roast [[Penguin]].
* '''William''' (unnamed in the original) – The patriarch of the family. He is the narrator of the story and leads the family. He knows an enormous amount of information on almost everything the family comes across, demonstrating bravery and self-reliance. The German text calls him a ''Schweizer-Prediger'' (Swiss [[preacher]]), but this detail is absent from English and French translations.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://books.openedition.org/obp/605|title=Telling Tales : The Impact of Germany on English Children's Books 1780-1918|first=David|last=Blamires|date=January 11, 2013|publisher=Open Book Publishers|pages=79–93|via=OpenEdition Books}}</ref>
* '''Fritz''' – The father, he is 15. Fritz is intelligent but impetuous. He is the strongest and accompanies his father on many quests.
* '''Elizabeth''' (unnamed in the original) – The loving mother of the family. She is intelligent and resourceful, arming herself even before leaving the ship with a "magic bag" filled with supplies, including sewing materials and seeds for food crops. She is also a remarkably versatile cook, taking on anything from porcupine soup to roast penguins.
* '''Ernest''' – The second oldest of the boys, he is 13. Ernest is the most intelligent, but a less physically active boy, often described by his father as "indolent". Like Fritz however, he comes to be an excellent shot.
* '''Jack''' – The mother, 11 years old. He is thoughtless, bold, vivacious, and the quickest of the group.
* '''Fritz''' – The oldest of the four boys, he is 15. Fritz is intelligent but impetuous. He is the strongest and accompanies his father on many quests.
* '''Ernest''' ({{Langx|de|Ernst}}) – The second oldest of the boys is 13. Ernest is the most intelligent, but a less physically active boy, often described by his father as "indolent". Like Fritz, however, he comes to be an excellent shot.
* '''Franz''' (sometimes translated as '''Francis''') – The youngest of the boys, he is 8 years old when the story opens. He usually stays home with his mother.
* '''Jack''' ({{Langx|de|Jakob}}) – The third oldest of the boys, 11 years old. He is thoughtless, bold, energetic, and the quickest in the group.
* '''Turk''' - The family's english dog.
* '''Francis''' - The youngest of the boys, he is eight years old when the story opens. He usually stays home with his mother.
* '''Juno''' - The family's Sick dog.
* '''Emily Montrose''' (called '''Jenny''' in Montolieu's version) – An English girl found on Smoking Rock near the end of the novel. She is shy, but soon is adopted into the family. Emily is not a character in the original German, but was invented by Isabelle de Montolieu.
* '''Jenny Montrose''' - A young English girl who is shipwrecked on the island and comes to live with the family.
* '''Turk''' ({{Langx|de|Türk}}) – The family's English dog.
* '''Nip''' (also called '''Knips''' or '''Nips''' in some editions) – An orphan [[monkey]] adopted by the family after their dogs Turk and Juno have eating his mother for food . The family use him to test for poisonous fruits.
* '''Fangs''' – A [[jackal]] that was tamed by the family.
* '''Juno''' ({{Langx|de|Bill}}) – The family's Danish dog.
* '''Nip''' (also called '''Knips''' or '''Nips''' in some editions; called ''Knips'' in the German) – An orphan [[monkey]] adopted by the family after their dogs Turk and Juno have killed his mother. The family uses him to test for poisonous fruits.
* '''Fangs''' ({{Langx|de|Zähne}}) – A [[jackal]] that is tamed by the family.

In the novel, the family is not called "Robinson" as their surname is not mentioned; the intention of the title is to compare them to [[Robinson Crusoe (character)|Robinson Crusoe]]. However, in 1900, [[Jules Verne]] published ''[[The Castaways of the Flag]]'' (alternatively known as ''Second Fatherland''), where he revisits the original shipwreck. In this sequel, of the family's final years on the original island, the family is called Zermatt<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/133-new-switzerland-nil-finally-in-need-of-a-navy/|title=New Switzerland, Jules Verne's Imaginary Shipwreck Sanctuary}}</ref> (which is, as "Robinson", not a swiss name – however, "Zermatten" is).


==Other adaptations==
==Other adaptations==
The novels in one form or another have also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing location and/or time period:
The novels, in one form or another, have also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing location and time period:


'''Book sequels'''
=== Book sequels ===
* ''Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants'' (1824) by [[Isabelle de Montolieu]], new edition of the novel with further adventures.
* ''Willis the Pilot: a sequel to The Swiss family Robinson; or, Adventures of an emigrant family wrecked on an unknown coast of the Pacific Ocean'' (1858) has been attributed to [[Johann Wyss]] or to [[Johanna Spyri]], author of ''[[Heidi]]''.
* ''Willis the Pilot: a sequel to The Swiss family Robinson; or, Adventures of an emigrant family wrecked on an unknown coast of the Pacific Ocean'' (1858) has been attributed to [[Johann Wyss]] or to [[Johanna Spyri]], author of ''[[Heidi]]''.
* ''[[The Castaways of the Flag|Second Fatherland]]'' (''Seconde Patrie'', 1900), by [[Jules Verne]] takes up the story at the point where Wyss's tale left off. It has also been published in two volumes, ''Their Island Home'' and ''Castaways of the Flag''.
* ''[[The Castaways of the Flag|Second Fatherland]]'' (''Seconde patrie'', 1900), by [[Jules Verne]] takes up the story at the point where Wyss's tale left off. It was first published in English in two volumes, ''Their Island Home'' and ''Castaways of the Flag'', and later in a single volume as ''Castaways of the Flag''.
* ''Return to Robinson Island'' (2015), by [[TJ Hoisington]], Based on the original 1812 Swiss Family Robinson novel.<ref>{{cite web|title=TJ Hoisington Pens the First Swiss Family Robinson Sequel in Over 100 Years|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/TJ-Hoisington-Pens-the-First-Swiss-Family-Robinson-Sequel-in-Over-100-Years-20150924}}</ref>
* ''Return to Robinson Island'' (2015), by T. J. Hoisington, based on the original 1812 Swiss Family Robinson novel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/TJ-Hoisington-Pens-the-First-Swiss-Family-Robinson-Sequel-in-Over-100-Years-20150924|title=TJ Hoisington Pens the First Swiss Family Robinson Sequel in Over 100 Years|first=Christina|last=Mancuso|website=BroadwayWorld.com}}</ref>


=== Audio adaptations ===
'''Film versions'''
In 1963, the novel was dramatized by the ''[[Tale Spinners for Children]]'' series ([[United Artists Records]] UAC 11059) performed by the Famous Theatre Company.
* ''Al-Ṭurfa al-Šahiyya fī aḫbār al-ʿAʾila al-Swīsiyya'', Arabic translation (c. 1900)

=== Film versions ===
* ''[[Perils of the Wild]]'' (1925 serial film)
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1940 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1940 film)
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1940 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1940 film)
* ''Swiss Cheese Family Robinson'' ([[Mighty Mouse]] short, 1947)
* ''Swiss Cheese Family Robinson'' ([[Mighty Mouse]] short, 1947)
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960 [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] film)
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960 [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] live-action film)
* ''[[Lost in Space (film)|Lost in Space]]'' (1998, inspired by the [[Lost_in_Space|1965–1968 American TV series]] which was inspired by the book)
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1976)
* ''The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson'' (1998)


=== Made-for-TV movies ===
'''Television series'''
* ''English Family Robinson'' (1957)
* ''Swiss Family Robinson: Lost in the Jungle'' (1957) — Unaired pilot for a hypothetical series, released in DVD only in 2000.
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' (1958) — Starring [[Laraine Day]], [[Walter Pidgeon]], [[Dennis Hopper]] and [[Patty Duke]].
* ''[[Lost in Space]]'' (1965-1968) - A [[science fiction]] adaptation in which the Robinsons are a family of explorers whose spacecraft goes off course. Identical concept to, but not based upon, the ''Space Family Robinson'' comic book listed below.
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1974 TV series)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1974) — Canadian series starring [[Chris Wiggins]]
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1973) – Animated adaptation.
* ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson (1975 TV series)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1975) — American series starring [[Martin Milner]]
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1975) — pilot to the American series of the same year.
* ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island]]''(1981) — An anime series.
* ''[[The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1998) — New Zealand series starring [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]]

'''Made for TV movies'''
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1958)
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1973)
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (1973)
* ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson (1975 TV series)|The Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Beverly Hills Family Robinson]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Beverly Hills Family Robinson]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The New Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1998) — Starring [[Jane Seymour (actress)|Jane Seymour]], [[James Keach]], and [[David Carradine]]
* ''[[The New Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1998) — Starring [[Jane Seymour (actress)|Jane Seymour]], [[James Keach]] and [[David Carradine]].
* ''[[Stranded (TV film)|Stranded]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Stranded (2002 film)|Stranded]]'' (2002)


'''Comic book series'''
=== Television series ===
* ''[[Space Family Robinson]]'' (1962 to 1984) - [[science fiction]] adaptation
* ''English Family Robinson'' (1957) — British series, believed to be lost.
* ''[[Lost in Space]]'' (1965–1968) — A science fiction adaptation in which the Robinsons are a family of explorers whose spacecraft goes off course.
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' (1973) — Episode 14 of animated series ''[[Festival of Family Classics]]'' by [[Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment|Rankin/Bass]].
* ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1974 TV series)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1974) — Canadian series starring [[Chris Wiggins]].
* ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson (1975 TV series)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1975) — American series starring [[Martin Milner]].
* ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson: Flone of the Mysterious Island]]'' (1981) — A Japanese anime series.
* ''The Swiss Family Jetson'' (1986) — An episode of the animated series ''The Jetsons'' modeled after Johann Wyss's book.
* ''[[The Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1998) — New Zealand series starring [[Richard Thomas (actor)|Richard Thomas]].
* ''[[Lost in Space (2018 TV series)|Lost in Space]]'' (2018–2021) — A [[Netflix]] adaptation of the 1965 ''[[Lost in Space]]''.
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' (TBA) — A [[Disney+]] adaptation currently in development.


=== Direct-to-video films ===
'''Stage adaptations'''
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' written by Jerry Montoya and performed at [http://bstreettheatre.org/ B Street Theatre] in Sacramento, California in 2009.


* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' (1996)
'''Computer adventure game'''
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' created in 1984 by [[Tom Snyder Productions]] for the [[Apple II]] and [[Commodore 64]], published under the [[Windham Classics]] label. The player takes the role of Fritz, the eldest brother.


=== Comic book series ===
'''Parody'''
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' (1947)&nbsp;— ''[[Classics Illustrated]]'' adaptation of the original novel
* ''[[Space Family Robinson]]'' (1962–1984)&nbsp;— science fiction adaptation
* ''Swiss Family Mouse n' Sons'' (c. 1962)&nbsp;— straight adaptation with the Disney characters playing the roles

=== Stage adaptations ===
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' written by Jerry Montoya and performed at [http://bstreettheatre.org/ B Street Theatre] in Sacramento, California, in 2009.

=== Video game ===
* ''Swiss Family Robinson'' by [[Soup2Nuts|Tom Snyder Productions]] for the [[Apple II]] and [[Commodore 64]], published in 1984 under the [[Windham Classics]] label. The player takes the role of Fritz, the eldest brother.

=== Parody ===
* ''The New Swiss Family Robinson'' by [[Owen Wister]] (1882).
* ''The New Swiss Family Robinson'' by [[Owen Wister]] (1882).


==See also==
==See also==
{{portal|Novels}}
{{portal|Novels}}
* ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]''
* ''[[The Admirable Crichton]]''
* ''[[Castaway]]''
* ''[[Cast Away]]''
* ''[[The Coral Island]]''
* ''[[The Coral Island]]''
* ''[[Lost in Space]]''
* ''[[Lost in Space]]''
* ''[[Masterman Ready, or the Wreck of the Pacific]]''
* ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]''


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
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==References==
==References==
* {{cite book | title=Robinson et robinsonnades: étude comparée de "Robinson Crusoe" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de J.R. Wyss, "L'Ile mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa majesté des mouches" de W. Golding, "Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique" de M. Tournier, Ed. | first=Marie-Hélène | last=Weber | publisher=Universitaires du Sud | year=1993}}
* {{cite book | title=Robinson et robinsonnades: étude comparée de "Robinson Crusoe" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de J.R. Wyss, "L'Ile mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa majesté des mouches" de W. Golding, "Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique" de M. Tournier, Ed. | first=Marie-Hélène | last=Weber | publisher=Universitaires du Sud | year=1993}}
* Wyss, Johann. ''The Swiss Family Robinson'', ed. John Seelye. Penguin Classics, 2007. The only unabridged complete text genuinely by Wyss (and his son) currently in print.
* Wyss, Johann. ''The Swiss Family Robinson'', ed. John Seelye. Penguin Classics, 2007. The only unabridged complete text genuinely by Wyss (and his son) is currently in print.


==External links==
==External links==
Line 124: Line 159:
{{Commons category|The Swiss Family Robinson}}
{{Commons category|The Swiss Family Robinson}}
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=-contributor%3Agutenberg%20title%3Aswiss%20robinson%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts ''The Swiss Family Robinson''], available at [[Internet Archive]] (original edition scanned books with illustrations in color)
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=-contributor%3Agutenberg%20title%3Aswiss%20robinson%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts ''The Swiss Family Robinson''], available at [[Internet Archive]] (original edition scanned books with illustrations in color)
* [https://books.google.com/books?q=intitle:swiss+intitle:family+intitle:robinson&as_brr=1 ''The Swiss Family Robinson''], available at [[Google Books]] (original edition scanned books with illustrations)
* ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' is available at [[Google Books]] (original edition scanned books with illustrations)
* {{gutenberg|no=11703|name=The Swiss Family Robinson}} (plain text and HTML). Version unknown, ''ca.'' 1850, missing two pages of text.
* {{gutenberg|no=11703|name=The Swiss Family Robinson}} (plain text and HTML). Version unknown, ''ca.'' 1850, missing two pages of text.
* {{gutenberg|no=3836|name=The Swiss Family Robinson}} (plain text). Kingston's 1879 translation.
* {{gutenberg|no=3836|name=The Swiss Family Robinson}} (plain text). Kingston's 1879 translation.
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=HgKisXro2nYC&dq=%22%2C+Vater%21+sagte+Ernst%2C+ich+glaube+mein%22&pg=PA3 Original German text on Google Books]
* [http://www.jimandellen.org/montolieu/robinsonsuisse.html "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text"], by Ellen Moody. Information about the book and its many versions.
* [http://www.jimandellen.org/montolieu/robinsonsuisse.html "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text"], by Ellen Moody. Information about the book and its many versions.
* {{librivox book | dtitle=The Swiss Family Robinson| stitle=swiss family robinson | author=Johann David Wyss}}
* {{librivox book | dtitle=The Swiss Family Robinson| stitle=swiss family robinson | author=Johann David Wyss}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swiss Family Robinson, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swiss Family Robinson, The}}
[[Category:Swiss Family Robinson| ]]
[[Category:The Swiss Family Robinson| ]]
[[Category:1812 novels]]
[[Category:1812 German-language novels]]
[[Category:19th-century Swiss novels]]
[[Category:Swiss children's novels]]
[[Category:Swiss children's novels]]
[[Category:Swiss emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Novels set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Swiss families]]
[[Category:Novels set on uninhabited islands]]
[[Category:Swiss novels]]
[[Category:Fictional families]]
[[Category:Fictional castaways]]
[[Category:Novels set on islands]]
[[Category:Fictional Swiss people]]
[[Category:German-language novels]]
[[Category:Swiss novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Swiss novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Novels about survival]]
[[Category:Novels about survival skills]]
[[Category:Novels adapted into television programs]]
[[Category:Swiss novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Novels set in the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:1810s children's books]]
[[Category:Children's books set on islands]]
[[Category:Children's books set in the Indian Ocean]]

Latest revision as of 07:41, 29 December 2024

This article is about the original novel. For later adaptations, see The Swiss Family Robinson (disambiguation).
The Swiss Family Robinson
Frontispiece to the first English translation of The Swiss Family Robinson, 1816
AuthorJohann David Wyss
Original titleDer Schweizerische Robinson
TranslatorWilliam H. G. Kingston
IllustratorJohann Emmanuel Wyss
LanguageGerman
GenreAdventure fiction
Robinsonade
Set inEast Indies, early 19th century
PublisherJohann Rudolph Wyss
Publication date
1812
Publication placeSwitzerland
Media typePrint (Hardcover and paperback)
Pages328
833.6
LC ClassPZ7.W996 S
TextThe Swiss Family Robinson at Wikisource

The Swiss Family Robinson (German: Der Schweizerische Robinson, "The Swiss Robinson") is a novel by the Swiss author Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia goes off course and is shipwrecked in the East Indies. The ship's crew is lost, but the family and several domestic animals survive. They make their way to shore, where they build a settlement, undergoing several adventures before being rescued; some refuse rescue and remain on the island.

The book is the most successful of a large number of "Robinsonade" novels that were written in response to the success of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719). It has gone through a large number of versions and adaptations.

History

[edit]

Written by Swiss writer Johann David Wyss, edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss, and illustrated by another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, the novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good farming, the uses of the natural world, and self-reliance. Wyss's attitude toward its education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many chapters involve Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality, husbandry, acceptance, and cooperation.[1]

Wyss presents adventures as lessons in natural history and physical science. This resembles other educational books for young ones published about the same time. These include Charlotte Turner Smith's Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons (1795), Rambles Farther: A continuation of Rural Walks (1796), and A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807). But Wyss's novel is also modeled after Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, an adventure story about a shipwrecked sailor first published in 1719.[1]

The book presents a geographically impossible array of large mammals and plants that probably could never have existed together on a single island, for the children's education, nourishment, clothing, and convenience.

An 1814 French adaptation by Isabelle de Montolieu and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37), Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants, added further adventures of Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz.[1]

The closest English translation to the original is that of the Juvenile Library in 1816, published as The Family Robinson Crusoe, or, Journal of a Father Shipwrecked, with his Wife and Children, on an Uninhabited Island, in two volumes, by the husband-and-wife team William Godwin and Mary Jane Clairmont[1][2], reprinted by Penguin Classics.[2]

Since then, there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the best-known English version is by William H. G. Kingston, first published in 1879.[1] It is translated from the German "with the omission of the long sententious lectures found in the original."[3] Around the same year, an abridged version of 112 pages by "I. F. M." was published, which told the story entirely in words of only one syllable (excepting some proper nouns, i.e. Robinson).[4]

Other English editions that claim to include the whole of the Wyss-Montolieu narrative are by W. H. Davenport Adams (1869–1910) and Mrs. H. B. Paull (1879). As Carpenter and Prichard write in The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Oxford, 1995), "with all the expansions and contractions over the past two centuries (this includes a long history of abridgments, condensations, Christianizing, and Disney products), Wyss's original narrative has long since been obscured."[1]

Although movie and television adaptations typically name the family "Robinson", it is not a Swiss name. The German title translates as The Swiss Robinson which identifies the novel as part of the Robinsonade genre, rather than a story about a family named Robinson.

Plot

[edit]
The Map of "New Switzerland"

The novel opens with a Swiss family in the hold of a sailing ship, weathering a great storm. The ship's crew evacuates without them, so William, Elizabeth, and their four sons (Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Francis) are left to survive alone. As the ship tosses about, William prays that God will spare them.

The ship survives the night, and the family finds themselves within sight of a tropical desert island. The following day, they decide to get to the island they can see beyond the reef. With much effort, they construct a vessel out of tubs. After they fill the tubs with food, ammunition, and other items of value they can safely carry, they row toward the island. Two dogs from the ship, Turk and Juno, swim beside them. The ship's cargo of livestock (including a cow, a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons), guns and powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled pinnace and provisions have survived.

Upon reaching the island, the family set up a makeshift camp. William knows that they must prepare for a long time on the island and his thoughts are as much on provisions for the future as on their immediate wants. William and his oldest son Fritz spend the next day exploring the island.

The family spends the next few days securing themselves against hunger. William and Fritz make several trips to the ship to bring everything useful from the vessel ashore. The domesticated animals on the ship are towed back to the island. There is also a great store of firearms and ammunition, hammocks for sleeping, carpenter's tools, lumber, cooking utensils, silverware, and dishes. Initially, they construct a treehouse, but as time passes (and after Elizabeth is injured climbing the stairs down from it), they settle in a more permanent dwelling in part of a cave. Fritz rescues a young Englishwoman named Jenny Montrose, who was shipwrecked elsewhere on their island.

The book covers more than ten years. William and the older boys explore various environments and develop homes and gardens at various sites about the island. Ultimately, the father wonders if they will ever see the rest of humanity again. Eventually, a British ship that is in search of Jenny Montrose anchors near the island and is discovered by the family. The captain is given the journal containing the story of their life on the island, which is eventually published. Several family members continue to live tranquilly on their island, while several return to Europe with the British.

Characters

[edit]

The principal characters of the book (including Isabelle de Montolieu's adaptations and continuation) are:

  • William (unnamed in the original) – The patriarch of the family. He is the narrator of the story and leads the family. He knows an enormous amount of information on almost everything the family comes across, demonstrating bravery and self-reliance. The German text calls him a Schweizer-Prediger (Swiss preacher), but this detail is absent from English and French translations.[5]
  • Elizabeth (unnamed in the original) – The loving mother of the family. She is intelligent and resourceful, arming herself even before leaving the ship with a "magic bag" filled with supplies, including sewing materials and seeds for food crops. She is also a remarkably versatile cook, taking on anything from porcupine soup to roast penguins.
  • Fritz – The oldest of the four boys, he is 15. Fritz is intelligent but impetuous. He is the strongest and accompanies his father on many quests.
  • Ernest (German: Ernst) – The second oldest of the boys is 13. Ernest is the most intelligent, but a less physically active boy, often described by his father as "indolent". Like Fritz, however, he comes to be an excellent shot.
  • Jack (German: Jakob) – The third oldest of the boys, 11 years old. He is thoughtless, bold, energetic, and the quickest in the group.
  • Francis - The youngest of the boys, he is eight years old when the story opens. He usually stays home with his mother.
  • Jenny Montrose - A young English girl who is shipwrecked on the island and comes to live with the family.
  • Turk (German: Türk) – The family's English dog.
  • Juno (German: Bill) – The family's Danish dog.
  • Nip (also called Knips or Nips in some editions; called Knips in the German) – An orphan monkey adopted by the family after their dogs Turk and Juno have killed his mother. The family uses him to test for poisonous fruits.
  • Fangs (German: Zähne) – A jackal that is tamed by the family.

In the novel, the family is not called "Robinson" as their surname is not mentioned; the intention of the title is to compare them to Robinson Crusoe. However, in 1900, Jules Verne published The Castaways of the Flag (alternatively known as Second Fatherland), where he revisits the original shipwreck. In this sequel, of the family's final years on the original island, the family is called Zermatt[6] (which is, as "Robinson", not a swiss name – however, "Zermatten" is).

Other adaptations

[edit]

The novels, in one form or another, have also been adapted numerous times, sometimes changing location and time period:

Book sequels

[edit]
  • Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants (1824) by Isabelle de Montolieu, new edition of the novel with further adventures.
  • Willis the Pilot: a sequel to The Swiss family Robinson; or, Adventures of an emigrant family wrecked on an unknown coast of the Pacific Ocean (1858) has been attributed to Johann Wyss or to Johanna Spyri, author of Heidi.
  • Second Fatherland (Seconde patrie, 1900), by Jules Verne takes up the story at the point where Wyss's tale left off. It was first published in English in two volumes, Their Island Home and Castaways of the Flag, and later in a single volume as Castaways of the Flag.
  • Return to Robinson Island (2015), by T. J. Hoisington, based on the original 1812 Swiss Family Robinson novel.[7]

Audio adaptations

[edit]

In 1963, the novel was dramatized by the Tale Spinners for Children series (United Artists Records UAC 11059) performed by the Famous Theatre Company.

Film versions

[edit]

Made-for-TV movies

[edit]

Television series

[edit]

Direct-to-video films

[edit]
  • Swiss Family Robinson (1996)

Comic book series

[edit]
  • Swiss Family Robinson (1947) — Classics Illustrated adaptation of the original novel
  • Space Family Robinson (1962–1984) — science fiction adaptation
  • Swiss Family Mouse n' Sons (c. 1962) — straight adaptation with the Disney characters playing the roles

Stage adaptations

[edit]
  • Swiss Family Robinson written by Jerry Montoya and performed at B Street Theatre in Sacramento, California, in 2009.

Video game

[edit]

Parody

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "A Note on Wyss's Swiss Family Robinson, Montolieu's Le Robinson suisse, and Kingston's 1879 text" by Ellen Moody.
  2. ^ John Seelye, ed. The Swiss Family Robinson. Penguin Classics. 2008. ISBN 978-0-14-310499-5.
  3. ^ Wyss, Johann David (1882). The Swiss Family Robinson. The Library of Congress. New York, G. Routledge & sons. p. 8.
  4. ^ Wyss, Johann David; I. F. M. (1879). The Swiss Family Robinson: In Words of One Syllable. University of California Libraries. New York: McLoughlin Bros., Publishers.
  5. ^ Blamires, David (January 11, 2013). Telling Tales : The Impact of Germany on English Children's Books 1780-1918. Open Book Publishers. pp. 79–93 – via OpenEdition Books.
  6. ^ "New Switzerland, Jules Verne's Imaginary Shipwreck Sanctuary".
  7. ^ Mancuso, Christina. "TJ Hoisington Pens the First Swiss Family Robinson Sequel in Over 100 Years". BroadwayWorld.com.

References

[edit]
  • Weber, Marie-Hélène (1993). Robinson et robinsonnades: étude comparée de "Robinson Crusoe" de Defoe, "Le Robinson suisse" de J.R. Wyss, "L'Ile mystérieuse" de J. Verne, "Sa majesté des mouches" de W. Golding, "Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique" de M. Tournier, Ed. Universitaires du Sud.
  • Wyss, Johann. The Swiss Family Robinson, ed. John Seelye. Penguin Classics, 2007. The only unabridged complete text genuinely by Wyss (and his son) is currently in print.
[edit]
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