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Desert island literature usually begins with a description of the shipwreck at sea, and then describes the sufferings of the protagonist at sea or around the desert island. The author of desert island literature shows people the process of the hero's struggle with the harsh nature with the background of desert island. Therefore, if we only appreciate these works from the perspective of realism and romanticism, the desert island literature eulogizes the indomitable and fearless spirit of human beings in the face of nature, and embodies the author's positive outlook on life and philosophical thinking about life. Therefore, desert island literature has been appreciated by many readers in the past few centuries and has a wide influence in the world literary world.

Desert island literature originated in Britain, and its formation is closely related to the geographical location of the British Isles, the history of British colonial development and the adventurous spirit of the British. Therefore, desert island has naturally become an indispensable theme in English literature. From Shakespeare's The Tempest at the end of16th century (Shakespeare's plays in 1609 are a microcosm of early British colonial history) to Robinson Crusoe by daniel defoe in17th century, and from Coral Island by R·M· ballantyne in19th century to contemporary writer william golding. However, desert island literature is not a place to promote the escape from society by desert island, but a carrier and means to express the theme. They either show the conflict between man and nature, or seek ways to transform society, or publicize the author's social, political and philosophical views.

In the late 20th century, literary critics began to pay attention to the colonialist ideas advocated in desert island literature. During this period, the postcolonial criticism theory that emerged after the 1980s had a great influence on the literary criticism. It provides a unique research perspective for the study of literary works, especially desert island literary works.

Two masterpieces: The Tempest and Robinson Crusoe.