After the horrible storm, Robinson Crusoe finds himself to be the sole survivor on an unknown island. If we view Robinson Crusoe as an author, then the island on which he lives for 28 years can be interpreted as the book, which aligns with the second metaphor outlined by Mark Rose in his discussion of literary property.

Writing has long been associated with agriculture, particularly the act of plowing, where the pen is similar to a plow and the author works on paper instead of in real land. In the book, Crusoe becomes skilled in farming in order to survive. He plants seeds twice a year and becomes familiar with the climate of the island, which also echoes the evangelical trope that the author is represented as the sower of seeds. This metaphor suggests that just as Crusoe nurtures the island’s land, an author cultivates ideas that grow into a text.

Crusoe’s hard work transforms the island into his domain. He builds a house, erects fences, raises goats and parrots, digs a cave to store food, etc. This echoes the theory of John Locke that property is created through labour. Crusoe, with his labor, turned the island into his personal property, just like the author, with his labor, can have copyright of his book. In this way, once a reader purchases a book, he can get a key to have access to the island (the content), but he has no right to the property of the island (intellectual property of the author) and can not reproduce the key (the right of reprint).

However, such a metaphor can also be challenged. Just like in the book, Crusoe discovers a mysterious footprint on the island and fights against cannibals and mutineers, there seem to be doubts about Crusoe’s complete ownership of the island. Or to be more specific, the so-called sovereignty is more what Crusoe believes that he has, lacking legal protection and being unaware by others. Similarly, authors’ control over the book is limited. Once the book is published, it will be interpreted by the public when it enters the public domain, and the author will lose control over its use, just as Crusoe’s supposed dominion over the island is undermined by external forces.

There is an interesting parallel in the timing of the discovery of the footprint. It was in Crusoe’s fifteenth year on the island, while according to the Statute of Anne 1710, the exclusive rights in books to print or reprint is a limited term of 14 years. This might be served as a sign that copyright, unlike real estate, has different traits and this right is subject to expiration and public use after a set period.

At the end of the novel, Crusoe revisits the island. He divided the land among its inhabitants, while Crusoe himself keeps the sovereignty of the island, which may function as the authors’ desire or wish to permanently control their work. For me, authorship is much like Crusoe’s own journey—an ongoing adventure filled with challenges, requiring adaptation and persistence. While the struggle may be long, success is achieved through resilience, even if complete control remains elusive.

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