Places Discussed
*Colchester
*Colchester. Town in southeastern England’s Essex district, in which Moll’s narrative begins by moving quickly through her early years. After being orphaned, she is taken into a home in Colchester in which she first is seduced by one brother and then married by the other, in a loveless relationship.
*London
*London. England’s capital city and mercantile center, to which Moll goes after her husband dies. Now wiser about the ways of the world, she schemes to make a rich match for herself, only to connect with a gentleman-tradesman who proves to be as much a fraud as she is. Moll takes a greater hand in determining her own fate in London, where, as she learns, everything is business.
After having brief relationships with men in the countryside, Moll returns to London on her own and becomes a prostitute and a thief. The bulk of the book concerns her second sojourn in London, where, from her point of view as a storyteller, she is near to full-bloom.
*Virginia
*Virginia. British North American colony where Moll lives for eight years with her third husband, a gentleman-planter whom she marries after her second marriage fails. She is initially content in this new situation, but when she is given reason to believe that she may have a blood-relationship to her husband, she is aghast at the possibility of having committed incest and returns to England on her own.
After another sojourn in England—where she lives in Bath—Moll comes back to North America, finds that her third husband has died, and inherits his land. She thus returns to Virginia a landowner. Although it is doubtful the local courts would uphold her claim if someone were to challenge it, Moll knows that she has a better chance to own land in America than she could ever have in Europe. The novel ends with her making a formal claim to the Virginia land, thereby declaring to her readers that she has, at last, substantially the same rights as a man.
Historical Context
The American Colonies and the English Economy
In the novel, Moll travels to Virginia on two occasions: first as the spouse of
a plantation owner, and later as a convicted criminal sent to serve as a slave.
In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Virginia was an English
colony, reflecting England's growing overseas ambitions in trade and political
influence. Established in the early 1600s, Virginia had become a vital and
flourishing part of England's economy by the early 1700s.
During this era, wealth increasingly originated from merchant capital, giving rise to a powerful and affluent business class. Business was thriving in England, fostering a belief that substantial profits were attainable. England’s primary manufactured export at the time was cloth, which, along with other goods, was shipped to the American colonies in exchange for the increasingly valuable commodity, tobacco.
The Role of Women
While the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century addressed issues such as
individual liberties, social welfare, economic freedom, and education, these
concerns did not lead to significant changes for women between the late 1600s
and early 1700s. In fact, evidence suggests that women's status declined during
this period; in 1600, women owned more than two-thirds of the businesses in
London, but by the end of the eighteenth century, this figure had dropped to
just ten percent.
At this time, the English economy was centered around the family unit, with financial success largely dependent on family structures. Society viewed individuals living outside of a family unit with suspicion, often assuming they were criminals, beggars, or prostitutes. Moll, when faced with...
(This entire section contains 524 words.)
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particularly challenging situations, frequently laments her lack of family or friends with whom she could reside. Essentially, her constant search for a husband is a quest for a family unit of her own.
Working-class girls were expected to join the labor force as early as their sixth birthday. If a child was an orphan without financial support, as Moll’s nurse provided for her, authorities expected the orphan to enter “service,” typically household work for young girls. Women rarely married without a dowry, a sum of money given to the husband as an investment in the family’s economic unit.
Women from laboring families, whether married or single, worked in low-status jobs. Middle- and upper-class women had more economic options, although by the seventeenth century, as a woman’s social status increased, her opportunities for productive work diminished, as she was not expected to be in situations requiring her to work.
Many progressive Englishmen of the time believed that education was essential for a civilized society. Educational opportunities were extended to middle- and upper-class women as well as men. However, prevailing attitudes dictated that only men should be taught the more intellectual subjects such as philosophy and science. Women, on the other hand, were expected to study subjects that would enhance their moral development and make them more desirable as marriage prospects. These subjects included singing, dancing, and languages, as evidenced by the young girls in the household of Moll’s first husband, Robin. Moll eavesdrops on these lessons, giving her an advantage that most girls of her economic status did not possess.
Literary Style
Picaresque NovelMoll Flanders serves as a prime example of a picaresque novel. These stories typically feature a first-person narrator who recounts the escapades of a rogue or lower-class adventurer who moves from one place and social setting to another in a struggle to survive. The structure of these novels, such as Moll Flanders, is often episodic, featuring a cynical and amoral protagonist who relies on their cunning to get by.
Structure
Defoe did not segment the novel into chapters or sections. The narrative
progresses chronologically, divided into nearly one hundred distinct episodes.
Defoe spans long durations with broad statements, as illustrated when Moll
discusses her first marriage, saying, “It concerns the story in hand very
little to enter into the farther particulars of the family, . . . for the five
years I liv’d with this husband.”
Defoe starts the novel with a preface, claiming the tale is more of a “private history” than a novel. He encourages readers to focus more on Moll's remorse for her crimes than the crimes themselves and recommends the book “as a work from every part of which something may be learned.”
Point-of-View
Defoe wrote the novel in the first person, with Moll narrating her life story.
This approach brings Moll closer to readers, making it feel as though she is
speaking directly to them. Additionally, Moll recounts her story from the
perspective of being nearly seventy years old and supposedly repentant. She
occasionally pauses the narrative to offer reflections from her position as a
penitent elderly woman, providing warnings about certain behaviors and
choices.
Hero/Heroine
Moll is not a conventional heroine, as her actions are often morally
questionable and deserving of criticism. Her integrity is, at best, dubious.
Nevertheless, she is the heroine of her story because she embodies some
traditional heroic traits: she is courageous in adversity, challenges societal
norms, and moves through the novel with determination and purpose. Moll's life
is triumphant in a sense, as she ultimately achieves her desires and appears
remorseful for the harm she has caused.
Romantic Tone
Defoe crafted Moll Flanders with an exaggerated style, creating a
protagonist who is not only a skilled thief but also the wealthiest and most
notorious thief in the country. She marries five men, one of whom—almost
unbelievably—turns out to be her long-lost brother. The novel carries a
romantic tone, meaning actions are heightened and larger than life, rather than
focused on romantic love. The story is almost soap opera-like due to the
extraordinary events that happen to Moll.
Foreshadowing
Defoe occasionally employs foreshadowing, a literary device that sets up the
anticipation of future events in the narrative. After the draper abandons her,
Moll searches for a husband and encounters a group of heavy-drinking and
rough-living ruffians who attempt to entice her into some mischief. She
replies, “I was not wicked enough for such fellows as these yet.” When Jemy and
Moll part ways due to financial difficulties, she hints at his return, stating,
“But I shall have more to say of him hereafter.”
Compare and Contrast
1700s: The population of London surges to 550,000, up from 450,000 in 1660. Despite losing approximately 100,000 residents to the Great Plague in 1665 and suffering extensive damage from the three-day Great Fire of 1666, London emerges as the largest city in Europe. The rebuilding process after the Great Fire is rapid but disorganized.
Today: London now has a population of about seven million spread across six hundred and twenty square miles, maintaining its status as Europe's largest city. Major historic landmarks, such as the Royal Opera House and the British Museum, are currently undergoing renovations.
1700s: Middle- and upper-class English women have more economic opportunities than their lower-class counterparts, yet as their social status rises, they are increasingly excluded from productive work. Although opportunities in teaching are expanding, women face significant exclusion from trade guilds and apprenticeships. Additionally, some traditionally female professions like midwifery are being overtaken by new male healthcare professionals.
Today: Women constitute 45 percent of the workforce in the United Kingdom, with Britain employing more women than any other European nation. Women hold positions across various sectors, including government, education, medicine, and business, and they make up about 35 percent of new entrepreneurs.
1700s: By 1715, black slaves account for 24 percent of Virginia's population, a significant increase from less than 5 percent in 1671. Slavery in Virginia is not abolished until after the United States Civil War.
Today: According to the U.S. Census 2000, African Americans make up about 20 percent of Virginia's total population.
Early 1700s: The English criminal Jack Sheppard gains fame for his remarkable escapes from custody, particularly his 1724 breakout from Newgate Prison. His adventures inspire numerous stories and plays, some attributed to Daniel Defoe, and he becomes the protagonist of William Harrison Ainsworth’s 1839 novel Jack Sheppard.
Today: Newgate Prison was demolished in 1902, and its front iron doors are now exhibited at the Museum of London.
Media Adaptations
In 1965, Paramount transformed Moll Flanders into a film named The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders. The movie featured Kim Novak and Richard Johnson, with Terence Young as the director. It can be found on VHS.
In 1996, Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman, and Stockard Channing starred in a cinematic adaptation of the novel, simply titled Moll Flanders. This version was produced by MGM and directed by Pen Densham. It is available on VHS and DVD through MGM Video.
In 1975, the British Broadcasting Corporation created a television adaptation of Moll Flanders, which aired in two episodes.
In 1981, Granada Television (U.K.) produced a four-part TV series called Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders. This version starred Alex Kingston as Moll Flanders and was directed by David Atwood. It is available on VHS from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Anonymous, Review in The Flying Post; or, Weekly Medley, March 1,
1729.
Backscheider, Paula R., “Daniel Defoe,” in Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 101: British Prose Writers, 1660–1800, First Series, edited by Donald T. Siebert, Gale Research, 1991, pp. 103–26.
Defoe, Daniel, Moll Flanders, W. W. Norton and Co., 1973.
Fielding, Penelope, “Moll Flanders,” in Reference Guide to English Literature, 2d ed., Vol. 3, edited by D. L. Kirkpatrick, St. James Press, 1991, pp. 1719–20.
Forster, E. M., Aspects of the Novel, Harcourt, Brace, 1927, pp. 56–63.
Kelly, Edward H., Foreword, in Moll Flanders, W. W. Norton and Co., 1973, pp. vii–ix.
Novak, Maximillian E., “Daniel Defoe,” in Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 39: British Novelists, 1660–1800, Part 1: A–L, edited by Martin C. Battestin, Gale Research, 1985, pp. 143–66.
Richetti, John J., “Daniel Defoe,” in Twayne’s English Authors Series, G. K. Hall & Co., 1999.
Roscoe, W. C., “Defoe as a Novelist,” in National Review, Vol. 3, No. 6, October 1856, pp. 380–410.
Stephen, Leslie, “Defoe’s Novels,” in Hours in a Library, Vol. 1, rev. ed., G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894 (and reprinted by Putnam’s, 1899), pp. 1–46.
Watt, Ian, “Defoe as Novelist: Moll Flanders,” in The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding, University of California Press, 1957, pp. 93–134.
Woolf, Virginia, “Defoe,” in The Common Reader, First Series, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1925, pp. 89–97.
Further Reading
Backscheider, Paula R., Daniel Defoe: His Life, Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1992. In this highly acclaimed biography of Defoe, Backscheider uncovers
new details about Defoe’s covert career as a double agent, his bold business
pursuits, and his intricate games with those attempting to control the
press.
Defoe, Daniel, A Journal of the Plague Year, Oxford University Press, 1998. This work, originally published the same year as Moll Flanders, provides a gripping narrative of the Great Plague of 1665. Defoe explores the streets and alleys of afflicted London to document the intense suffering of the plague victims, presenting a horrifying yet compassionate view of the city devastated by the epidemic.
Hay, Douglas, and Nicholas Rogers, Eighteenth-Century English Society: Shuttles and Swords, Oxford University Press, 1997. Utilizing recent research on demography, labor, and law, this book examines the period from 1688 to 1820, focusing on the experiences of the 80 percent of the population that comprised England’s “lower orders.” The authors provide insights into food shortages, changes in poor relief, criminal law usage, and the social power shifts brought about by industrialization that led to the rise of working-class radicalism.
Waller, Maureen, 1700: Scenes from London Life, Four Walls, Eight Windows, 2000. This book offers a wealth of detail about daily life (and death) in eighteenth-century London, concentrating on where people lived and worked, their behavior, attire, diet, and how they suffered from illness and injury. It is composed of vignettes based on the author’s research and excerpts from contemporary diarists, novelists, and commentators.
Bibliography
Backscheider, Paula R. Daniel Defoe: Ambition and Innovation. Louisville: University of Kentucky Press, 1986. Provides biographical data and critical interpretations of Defoe’s novels, placing emphasis on his innovative point of view.
Bell, Ian A. Defoe’s Fiction. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1985. Studies the elements of Defoe’s writing style and characters. Discusses the problem of morality in Moll Flanders.
Boardman, Michael M. Defoe and the Use of Narrative. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1985. Discusses Daniel Defoe’s narrative technique. Focuses on how Defoe structures his stories.
Defoe, Daniel. Moll Flanders. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991. A good version of the original text.
Novak, Maximillian. Realism, Myth and History in Defoe’s Fiction. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983. An excellent starting place. Discusses the author’s use of realistic characters, such as Moll Flanders, and discusses how Defoe overcomes the myth of female inferiority by having Moll succeed in realistic situations.
Richetti, John J. Daniel Defoe. Boston: Twayne, 1987. Examines Defoe’s process of writing and plot development.
Starr, G. A. Defoe and Causitry. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1991. Discusses Moll Flanders and how Moll creates her many problems by her own choices and bad decisions.