From Fiction to Fact (the illusion of Reality): Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

FROM FICTION TO FACT (the Illusion of reality) by Anish O Cornel
Putting fiction within the shadows of reality was am unprecedented artifice founded in the artistic fabric of some writers of 18th century England. Ecclesiastical factors, especially from the puritanical folds, initiated the change. The puritans, at this time considered fiction to be a mere congeries of false and unreal stories. To them, the grave fallaciousness of these stories were disparaging to the soul. They felt they (i.e., the stories) would do nothing to impact the soul, with life for salvation than corrupt it. Hence, 'fiction'-in the puritanical sense-were prohibited. All these were triggered right from the puritan interregnum, when fictitious dramas and prose were prohibited or classified as immoral literature. So in order to keep the canon alive, writers like Defoe, decided to write in disguise.
    Writing in disguise meant that fiction would have to be parceled in such a form that it would be impervious to the strictures of the puritans.

How Defoe represented Fact in His Fiction
1 synchronous representation of nature
2 Nomen veritatis/ Nomen verissimilitudo: This refers to the use of names (or noun in general) in correspondence to the properties of real life.Here, names of animal, place, things are not invented like we have it in Gulliver's Travels, where we talk of brobdingnag, Laputa, Blefuscu, etc that are unrealistic.
3 The presentment of the characters psychogenic paradigmns: This deals with the attitudes of the characters in the novel, which corresponds with that of real life people. For example, with Crusoe, we have;
a) His instinct for survivalism
b) His instinct for individualism and imperialism.
4 The infusion of the puritan individualism
5 The use of the first person narrative
6 Elements of Chronometricity (Diachronic representation): This deals with the spacio-tempora features of the text
7 Realistic Depiction of day to day activity

Please Note: These are just some hints that you can build up with the use of the novel. Thanks