The Swiss Family Robinson
was initially written in German by Swiss author Johann Wyss in 1812, and then soon after an accurate English translation was completed by William Godwin in 1816. The Godwin translation remained the standard in English for a generation or two, but by the mid-19th century the number and variety of English translations began to multiply - there were no enforceable copyright laws and translators freely added episodes, changed names (and even genders) of some of the characters and cut portions of the text to conform to changing views on education and aesthetic tastes. There are probably over a dozen such variations and most who read the novel today are not reading the original (the 2007 Penguin Classics edition, edited by John Seelye, is the 1816 Godwin translation, which is the closest to the original). I have now read two: William Kingston's 1879 adaptation (one of the more common adaptations) and Godwin, and I believe the original translation of Wyss by Godwin is better. It's not abridged like most later versions so certain scenes just make more sense - for example some of the characters are more dynamic, like Ernest shows himself to be a capable bloodthirsty killer like his brothers (a scene cut from later editions to maintain his "bookish" nature) - and the theories on education are classic Rousseauian (he is mentioned twice in the narrative).
This isn't your childhood Swiss family. Godwin's 1816 translation has rarely been in print until recently - most versions floating around are some variation of Isabelle de Montolieu's 1824 French adaptation (
William H. G. Kingston's 1879 English translation
of Montolieu's French adaption is probably the most common). In Montolieu/Kingston's version, the original ~400 page that Wyss wrote has been abridged to about 150 pages, with an additional 150 pages or so of new material added to the end (with an entirely different ending, new characters, etc). So if you've read Swiss family as a child, and are looking for an "unabridged" version, you may find Godwin's 1816 translation missing a lot of material - simply because Wyss never wrote it in the first place.
What version to read? I would say Montolieu/Kingston's version (and others) are more "kid friendly" mainly because the Godwin translation is from 1816 and as such uses some language that is dated and has passages that would probably be boring or not make sense without historical context. So in a way there is no "right" version since most readers for the past 150 years have not been reading the "original" anyway. I would probably recommend the Montolieu/Kingston version for juvenile readers and the Godwin version for adults - or even better, read all of Godwin plus the second half of Montolieu/Kingston which is all new material, the first half just being an abridged version of Godwin.
In the end I enjoyed the novel for what it is - a great adventure and inspiring family story. Many classic stories are challenging and interesting but not always "fun" - this one is just a great story and fun to read. It's even more fun knowing there are is a whole world of alternative versions available, with more adventures and different endings, but I'm glad to have read the original as it was written by Wyss (and his sons).
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Reviews with images
Great Book.. would only change one thing.
Love the book great story but lettering is bulky makes it alil tough to read but not to bad. Can read through with no issues just a bit of an eye sore when first opening. All in all I love the book it's a great read for the family to enjoy!
Top reviews from other countries
Eleni of Troy.
An amazing story that kept me hooked till the end.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 12, 2021
Mr. G. Erhabor
Exactamente el libro que esperaba, perfecto para el nivel indicado.
Reviewed in Spain on July 9, 2018
