51 pages • 1 hour read
Foe
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Foe is a 1986 novel by J. M. Coetzee. Foe is a parallel novel, reimagining the story of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe from the perspective of a shipwrecked woman named Susan Barton, who then tries to convince a fictionalized version of Defoe to write her story.
This guide refers to the 2015 Penguin edition.
Content Warning: The source material uses outdated, offensive terms for Black people throughout, which is replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material. This guide also discusses racism and enslavement.
Plot Summary
Susan Barton is an Englishwoman who spent many years searching for her lost daughter. She believes that her daughter was kidnapped and taken to the Americas. After an unsuccessful trip to Brazil, she boards a ship to return to England. During the voyage, the crew of the ship mutiny against the captain. They set Susan in a boat and cast her adrift, alongside the corpse of the captain. Susan rows until she is exhausted and then dives into the ocean. She washes up on the beach of an unknown island, which she discovers is inhabited by a 60-year-old white man named Unlock all 51 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
Related Titles
By J. M. Coetzee
