Comprised of pieces spanning five centuries, Crusoe's Secret explores the culture of English dissent, whether through canonical works - Paradise Lost, Robinson Crusoe, Clarissa - or moving between epic and novel, lyric, tract and drama. Tom Paulin engages with the great dissenting voices from Bunyan to D. H. Lawrence, and he casts new light on others - such as Clare or Kipling or Hopkins - whose work was touched by dissent. Crusoe's Secret confirms Tom Paulin's status as an exemplary reader, who brilliantly marries historical context and critical readings.