Daniel Defoe's characters: As Archetypes of "Homo Economicus"

This thesis examines the historical, social, economic and religious changes which led to the formation of the early capitalist society in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century. I will prove that a new type of hero - the so-called "Homo economicus" or "economic man" - appeared in Daniel Defoe's novels. Using the works of significant critics of this topic, I will demonstrate how Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders could become the archetypes of "Homo economicus".