Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

[Sheila]

I apologize if there is already a thread on this book.; post contains spoilers

One must always remember context when reading a book, and The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, is certainly no exception. In today times Moll Flanders would be selfish, manipulative and with more luck then one should be allowed. However put Moll Flanders in 18th Century England, (when the book was written); and you could see a different person. It is remarkable how she rose above her station at birth. She is a bit conniving, resourceful and determined, and fear drives her more than anything, throughout the novel you can see Moll’s dueling nature – a repenting women admonishing herself for her behavior and a ruthless pursuer of ill-gotten wealth for her own security.
I will admit the book was hard for me to get through at first. The language was a bit distracting, repetitive bursts, staccato and over-punctuated, it was hard for me to understand events and I had to read certain passages a couple time to grasp what was happening.
Moll Flanders was very naive at first in her childhood and when living with the family with the two brothers. I do believe the heartache she received there did help harden her to what lay ahead of her life. Although many would scoff and her being ill and taken to bed over a man, I can not imagine a more heartbroken person then young girl,
The continued saga of this heroine her high misdemeanors and delinquencies, her many careers as a prostitute, a charming and faithful wife, a thief, endures as one of the most candid records of a woman's progress through the hypocritical labyrinth of society ever recorded
In comes to end when Flanders finds herself in Newgate prison, she finally repents under guidance of a minister. She is reunited with her favorite husband, and both set off for America to finally prosperous life that she so desired.
I must say I am a little confused as to what message Defoe was putting across this book, I understand that is probably a political and social satire, also one could say the description of her life as thief and the fate of those around her could serve as warning of those who would venture that way, or the entire book could drive home the point that circumstances is what makes us who and what we are.

[Maud Fitch]

Great review, Sheila.

You may be interested to know that Scott started a thread on Tuesday 20 May, 2008.
“Discussion of Moll Flanders” May Book of the Month. Not long but worth checking out.

[lady_charlie]

I think I really came down on Moll's side in this book. It has been a long time since I read it and found it sort of shocking.
Really, though, if you look at marriage and women from a strictly historical viewpoint, this is a common theme in a lot of books and stories from different cultures, even. Women need to marry if they want to survive, and if they want to live well, they need to marry money. There was a day when women couldn't have property outside of marriage, and anything you helped your husband make was taken away when he died. If Moll Flanders had been written in 2013 I might judge her a little bit more harshly since women have more options today. But if Defoe had written Flanders in 2013 she might have been a ruthless CEO or Wall Street banker, taking advantage of as many men as possible before they could take advantage of her. Maybe she wouldn't have gotten married so many times, or even at all. I do think she was beyond thinking about love as a romantic ideal; haven't a lot of women these days decided that as well? So even though we don't get married five times or allow our children to fade out of our lives or steal or become prostitutes, the realities of life have taken the bloom off of romance, eh?

[GKCfan]

I was just surprised that a lot of the major plot twists and points were given away in the title:

"The Fortunes & Misfortunes
of the Famous
Moll Flanders
Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for
Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore,
five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year
a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia,
at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and dies a Penitent."

[DanBR]

I must say I am a little confused as to what message Defoe was putting across this book

I think it is simply this: during the 1600's, women had three choices: be a married woman, a thief or a whore. Any other path would mean starvation. I don't know if Defoe was an early feminist or just someone who fought against injustice, but he certainly did not like this small number of choices.

[greenzelda]

Book Details:
Title: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders
Author: Daniel Defoe
Published: 2009 Arcturus Publishing Limited
ISBN: 978-1-84837-316-7
Genre: Classic-
Pages: 303
Rating: /

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, or just 'Moll Flanders' for short,
was written by Daniel Defoe in 1722. As some readers might already know, Defoe also is responsible for 'Robinson Crusoe', a historical fiction novel following the adventures of a castaway of the same name. Many parallels can be drawn between the two novels, for example, they're both written from the protagonist's perspective- a narrative device that Defoe utilises exceptionally.
Defoe is an excellent storyteller, and although there's no denying the brilliance of his most famous work- I consider Moll Flanders to be far superior a novel.

Now, to get down the the nitty-gritty substantiation:
Moll Flanders is written from the titular character's perspective. That is to say, the book is Moll's memoirs.
Let me get this straight: Moll is a most wicked woman, or at least she believes herself to be.. She's a woman who's been on the make since day one. She's a brave soul, a entrepreneur, intelligent, and above all... "A very handsome woman". (bear with me) The latter being utilised by her throughout the novel to great effect by Moll, and serves to allow our heroine to NOT die of starvation. Poor Moll didn't grow up in the finest of situations- abandoned at birth, raised in several foster homes, etc. Growing up impoverished causes Moll to realise very early on that we are all dependant on the wheel of fortune, and our circumstances can change at the drop of a hat. So she is forced to become quite ruthless in her decisions.

As outlined earlier, Moll Flanders was published in the 1700's. In England especially (where the book is set), these weren't ideal times to be alive. Poverty was rife, prisons were overcrowded, and the living conditions were unbearable. What is remarkable is that
Defoe was able to recognise that circumstances (not pure greed) oft forced the hand of innocent people into doing whatever was necessary in order to survive. (such a revolutionary concept I know, but Defoe was way ahead of his time) Yes, the times were cruel, but as history tells us Women often drew the short straw in life. Unfortunately, there were only three real options for women at the time. Marry (and hope that your husband has enough money to feed the both of you), Become a nun, or turn to a life of crime (prostitution/thievery).

As a fan of historical novels, I highly recommend this to anyone who shares my love for the genre.
I honestly adore this book. What makes it so precious to me is that not only is it a valuable social commentary of England during the age of colonisation; examining topics including gender politics and the class system, but it does so in such a way that allows for a lavish story to be told.
It's just so... Honest.

Please read it if you haven't already

[Wreade1872]

This is an awful book, so incredibly boring and badly written. It reads like an Edgar Rice Burroughs story at times with its lack of decent characterization and stupid coincidences. While it very occasionally dropped to this level i actually quite liked Robinson Crusoe overall but i don't know how anyone can like this tripe.

If you want a well written book that has similar themes i suggest 'Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor' (1944).