Moll Flanders

Mar 23, 2010

karen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: my-summer-of-classix, icky-sex

the person who was reading this used, 49 cent, copy of moll flanders before me stopped reading at page 26, judging by the abrupt cessation of circled words like "prattle", "would you were, sir", "brother fell", and "he would" i like to think about this person, and their busy pen. it's so arbitrary - they are not even words that might be unfamiliar to a moderately-literate reader. i tried to find a code in it: "help, i am being held hostage by a mad li...more

like 64 likes

· see review

Jan 26, 2012

Shovelmonkey1 rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who like a lady with attitude

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list and a BBC adaptation

Shelves: 1001-books, almost-chick-lit, bookcrossing-books, history

Moll Flanders; the tale of a bawdy wench out and about being bawdy and getting up to all manner of, well, bawdiness. For those of you not up on your ye olde Englishness, bawdy is a general term for something which is lewd, obscene and lascivious. If you don't know what any of those words mean then Moll Flanders will be a nice surprise for you (and maybe you should get out more).

Moll is essentially a working girl on the make but really she's just trying to find Mr Right and settle dow...moreMoll Flanders; the tale of a bawdy wench out and about being bawdy and getting up to all manner of, well, bawdiness. For those of you not up on your ye olde Englishness, bawdy is a general term for something which is lewd, obscene and lascivious. If you don't know what any of those words mean then Moll Flanders will be a nice surprise for you (and maybe you should get out more).

Moll is essentially a working girl on the make but really she's just trying to find Mr Right and settle down with a nice respectable fellow in order to get a bit of financial security. Life in the early 18th century was no picnic after all, especially if you're a lady with a bit of a reputation and not two coppers to rub together. Social services were not around to step in, help you into a small flat and give you advice about being a job seeker.

Nope, life on the banks of the Thames was very much a sink or swim affair although many people find it difficult to swim when their throats have been cut from ear to ear and they've been heaved in head first after their pockets have been emptied. London was not a pretty place to be and no one can blame Moll for trying to make the best of a bad situation. And try she does, although this mainly involves going through husbands faster than Elizabeth Taylor.

Husband One dies an early death and leaves her with small children to care for. She leaves them tucked up at home and heads out onto the street to begin a career as an artful con-woman hoping to snare another husband. Husband Two is wealthy but quickly bankrupts himself and does a runner to France leaving Moll with some fond memories and an empty bank account.

Swiftly moving on to husband number three, there is some exciting foreign travel followed by an unfortunate bought of incest (well, the world was a lot smaller in those days). Potential husband number four never comes through with the goods which brings Moll to potential husband number five. Number five is a slow mover and is put on the back-burner while Number six is sought out to fill the hole (pun intended) in the interim. Number six turns out to be an even bigger con-artist than Moll and hi-jinx ensue when they both think the other is looted.

Nine children later and six husbands down Moll is still far from living the high life and resorts to meaner crimes than seduction in order to fill her purse. You can imagine that a life like this is probably going to be less than kind on a lady's general appearance but Moll still seems to pull in the gentlemen. Perhaps bawdiness is a virtue in its own right.

A brilliant alternative classic tale with an unusual and bold heroine who is not chaste, girly or prim. A refreshing antidote to the later ladies of the Austen school of writing. Moll Flanders would kick Elizabeth Bennet's ass any day of the week.(less)

like 24 likes

· see review

Feb 17, 2010

Ellen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: novels

The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders &c.
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. Written from her own Memorandums . . .

Original title page for Moll Flanders

The character of Moll Flanders has traditionally ...more
The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders &c.
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. Written from her own Memorandums . . .

Original title page for Moll Flanders

The character of Moll Flanders has traditionally baffled critics.

Is she an ironic character? Is she truly penitent? How may her inconsistencies be justified? Critics have asserted there is irony in Moll Flanders but it is not in the book; that is, we--as readers--may appreciate irony in Moll's character but Defoe does not provide it. What may be easier to demonstrate, then, is that "Defoe's attitude toward Moll is consistent, even if Moll herself, ironically or otherwise, is not" (James 203). Whatever the critics propose, for readers, Moll emerges as irascible, vibrant, and wonderfully complex. Moll also shows the limited choices for a woman of her time.

Moll Flanders, as the description from Defoe's original title page suggests, is a novel written in the confessional mode. As readers of this type of work, our role is akin to that of a priest: we listen to the confessions and tacitly provide understanding or forgiveness. To elicit our sympathy, Defoe places Moll in an environment not only hostile but enticing, a world, he would have us believe, that tempts and lures an otherwise virtuous individual into a life of crime.

Moll’s world, ostensibly mimetic, is really portrayed with great selectivity. Many characters—even those as important as her first lover—are not even named; settings are often depicted as just “a house” or “the street.” What does loom large on Moll’s horizon is money. Again and again, Moll focuses on money and the material; early on, she defines herself in terms of her net worth.

Moll’s indoctrination into a materialistic world starts in childhood. Orphaned, Moll is raised by an elderly woman who feels amused pity for Moll’s desires to become a “gentlewoman” and let Molls live with her rather than go into service. The ladies of the town, curious about the “little gentlewoman,” visit her and soon begin to give Moll gifts of money and fine clothes. When Moll’s elderly guardian dies, one of the families that had shown an interest in Moll takes her into their home. Though poor, Moll describes how she receives an education equivalent to that of a gentlewoman. By a twist in circumstances, Moll gets an early “taste of genteel living” (9) far above her actual station.

Although Moll describes herself initially as “very sober, modest, and virtuous” (12), she is led into a liaison with the eldest brother in the household. His dominance soon takes hold, and Moll describes his tactics in terms of lures: “he began with that unhappy snare to all women, viz. taking notice upon all occasions how pretty I was” or “After he had thus baited his hook” (13). Though Moll admits her strong passion for the elder brother, her stronger passion soon becomes clear. After an initial episode of kissing, the brother gives Moll money. Moll’s reaction is telling: “I was more confused with the money than I was before with the love, and began to be so elevated that I scarce knew the ground I stood on” (17). On a subsequent occasion, he gives Moll a “handful of gold” (18), and its glittering reality becomes the dominant image in Moll’s landscape: “As for the gold, I spent whole hours in looking upon it; I told [and yes, this is the right word:] the guineas over and over a thousand times a day” (19).

To gain Moll’s complete surrender, the brother offers her a silk purse with a hundred guineas in it and the promise of one hundred guineas annually until he marries her. With irony intended or unintended, Moll’s passion and greed gain equal footing: “My colour came and went, at the sight of the purse and with the fire of the proposal together” (22), and Moll succumbs to his advances.

Significantly, money and attendant material possessions are foregrounded while the rest of Moll’s setting recedes into the background. The elder brother—as we could predict—does not marry Moll and her reluctant marriage to the younger brother, done only out of financial necessity, receives a rapid narration. Molls tells us there is little worth describing, “…I lived with this husband, only to observe that I had two children by him, and that at the end of five years he died” (51). Typically, Moll assesses her present situation in terms of money, a description more graphic and several lines longer, than that of her five years of marriage.

Moll’s early adventures set up her pattern of behavior. Despite her professed good intentions, when push comes to shove, Moll consistently acts out of self-interest. Moll’s hostile world tempts her with material gain, she succumbs, eventually has some type of downfall, and then defines her outcome in terms of her current net worth. Moll’s patterned conduct puts the reader in an interesting situation. Moll may momentarily hesitate and try to rationalize a forthcoming seduction or theft, but we never doubt the outcome.

However, in a society that would otherwise provide little choice for an unattached woman, Moll’s ability to silence any internal qualms greatly increases her freedom of movement. While we might find her attempts at rationalization or short fits of morality funny, Moll Flanders is a complex character. Ultimately, she is not simply funny nor simply tragic, but fully realized and equipped with powers of resourcefulness and self-preservation that might have been admired in a man.
(less)

like 19 likes

· see review

Nov 13, 2010

Whitaker rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: canon, 2010-read

Did I enjoy this novel? No. In some ways, its story and writing technique are far too rudimentary for a 21st century reader. It certainly didn't grab me the way other books have. But I think if you want to see how the novel got from there to here, you can't pass this by.

Because reading Moll Flanders is like watching the grainy footage of a home video of your lover at five years old. You can see the gestures and traits that make up the person today, but only sketched out in infant fo...more

like 16 likes

· see review

Jul 05, 2007

Frederick rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anybody interested in the history of the novel or inspirations for James Joyce.

Shelves: novels, defoe

This, of course, was called an actual memoir when it was published. Today's novelists should take note: The first novels definitely were meant to deceive the public into thinking they were true stories.
The Norton Critical Edition I read in college was one soild paragraph. This means Defoe didn't get an effect out of the LOOK of his prose, unless an effect of incredible suffocation was intentional. The fact that it was one paragraph drove me insane, as it did my elder brother, who, upon he...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Sep 12, 2007

Pinky rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Ever wondered what the significance of Ned Flander's wife's name on the Simpons?
Moll Flanders is about a woman that not only fell on hard times, but is a strong, self asserted woman that uses any possible wiles to survive in a time when women were still nothing more than trinkets. She goes from reputable, to the London street slum, to accidentally marrying her brother, to living a long life with one that she loves.
Far beyond its time, Moll Flanders is a classic. Hard to read at tim...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Sep 09, 2008

Jim rated it

· review of another edition

Amusing, picaresque portrait of an unsrupulous antiherione (the narrator) in 17th century England and America. She lies, she steals, she whores - whatever it takes.

I, and I suspect she, lost track of how many children she has by an assortment of fathers, but no matter. The fact that there are no separate chapters may daunt some, but her amoral, approach to all her conflicts is most satisfing and you root for her to succeed.

like 5 likes

· see review

Jul 26, 2007

Katharine rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: c18

Last year I described this book as being like a big gushy Cinnabon, sweet, sticky, and cloying. I love it to bits, but it does make me feel like I need to wash, or something.

like 5 likes

· see review

Jan 04, 2009

Rose added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, fiction

3 things I liked about this book:
1. Moll's distinctive character and voice
2. Her ability to turn almost any situation into a positive, eventually (Moll Flanders wobbles, but she never falls down!)
3. How the book highlighted the difficult positions a woman could be left in during this period as a result of, for example, becoming widowed with children, not having a husband/family to support her, having illegitimate children, or being married and thus all personal property legally...more3 things I liked about this book:
1. Moll's distinctive character and voice
2. Her ability to turn almost any situation into a positive, eventually (Moll Flanders wobbles, but she never falls down!)
3. How the book highlighted the difficult positions a woman could be left in during this period as a result of, for example, becoming widowed with children, not having a husband/family to support her, having illegitimate children, or being married and thus all personal property legally belonging to the husband, who might fritter it away

3 things I did not like about this book:
1. The disregard for Moll's children. OK, I can understand her doing her best to forget them when she's in a very difficult situation. The second time round in Virginia, for example, she doesn't ask after the other child she had left there. She overdoes the "loving mother" bit a touch right at the end when she re-meets her son in Virginia, and you'd think in this mood she would be minded to say something about that son's brother or sister she left behind. Similarly, at one point she comments on going back to the place she left her two children by Robin, and finds out about (and reports back on) the fate of his parents, brother, and sister - but not a word about the two children.

2. It was skillfully written so that the reader retained more sympathy for Moll than might have been the case, but she was still a pretty nasty piece of work, however much she justified her actions to herself.

3. The ending seemed rushed, forced, and as if it was trying to make up for a prurient emphasis on "wickedness" throughout most of the rest of the book.

3 things I learnt from this book:
1. Fabric could be really, really expensive (yet apparently not subject to particularly tight security). We are told that a typical servant-girl would earn about £3 a year, £5 will pay for a baby to be fostered for a year, and Moll estimates that she could live on £6 a year. She routinely, however, steals pieces of cloth worth upwards of 20 guineas.

2. London had an area called "The Mint" in which debtors were safe from prosecution for their debts.

3. You could get hung for all sorts of crimes in the past. "At its height the criminal law included some 220 different crimes punishable by death. These crimes included such offences as "being in the company of Gypsies for one month", "strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14 years of age" and "blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime"." (Wikipedia)

3 words used excessively in this book:
1. satisfaction
2. perplexity
3. convenience(less)

like 8 likes

· see review

Jan 06, 2009

Daniel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: glendale-library-store, 2009

Despite being one of the earliest English novels, and thus from a time incredibly different from our own, Daniel Defoe's "Moll Flanders" sucked me into its world far more readily than I expected it to. I attribute this mostly to the voice of Moll Flanders herself, who is so good natured, and so ready to make the best of whatever situation she finds herself in, it'd be hard not to become enamored of her. Because Moll's society is so far removed from ours -- the book was written in 1722 ...moreDespite being one of the earliest English novels, and thus from a time incredibly different from our own, Daniel Defoe's "Moll Flanders" sucked me into its world far more readily than I expected it to. I attribute this mostly to the voice of Moll Flanders herself, who is so good natured, and so ready to make the best of whatever situation she finds herself in, it'd be hard not to become enamored of her. Because Moll's society is so far removed from ours -- the book was written in 1722 -- and because so much of what she encounters and how she lives her life are completely of their time, without her charming, winning view of the world, "Moll Flanders" would surely be almost impossible to enjoy today.

That's not to say some parts of Defoe's book don't make a modern reader cringe. The births of most of Moll's children are mentioned only in passing, as are many of their deaths. Even the least impressive of Moll's later crimes, when she eventually turns to a life of thievery, are given more space in the book than are most of her children's births. I imagine Moll's casualness about her children's births and deaths is due in part to the mortality rate being so much higher back then, and perhaps part of it is because Defoe, despite admirably taking on the viewpoint of a woman, was still in the end a man -- and a man of his time, not of ours.

While little of "Moll Flanders"'s story is anything but fascinating, perhaps most worthy of further consideration after finishing the book is Moll's penitence both at Newgate and in America. It's hard to know exactly how sincere that penitence is when, at Newgate, she's not allowed to continue her thievery anyhow, as Moll herself admits, and in America she no longer needs to commit crimes to survive. (By the same token, though, Moll turns to a life of crime in the first place only because she sees doing so as the only way to survive, not because she is a person particularly prone to thievery. That's not to say, of course, that she doesn't enjoy her stealing quite a bit while she's doing it.)

I decided to read "Moll Flanders" because it received such high praise from E.M. Forster in his "Aspects of the Novel," and it's easy to see why it did. Plus, how could any American reader not have at least some fondness for a novel in which one of the main characters -- an Englishman, naturally -- wants to choose death by hanging over having to live in America?
(less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Sep 18, 2009

Lavinia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, fiction

One of my latest revelations regarding books is that I somehow need to pay my respects to the 17th century classics. That is, read some of the novels I should have read years ago, books most people read as teenagers or at least in college, where they (some of them) are mandatory. Having waltzed very skilfully among them when I needed to, because - blame it on taste - I was never ever attracted by picaresque novels, it's high time I did something about it.

So, ladies and gents, I give ...moreOne of my latest revelations regarding books is that I somehow need to pay my respects to the 17th century classics. That is, read some of the novels I should have read years ago, books most people read as teenagers or at least in college, where they (some of them) are mandatory. Having waltzed very skilfully among them when I needed to, because - blame it on taste - I was never ever attracted by picaresque novels, it's high time I did something about it.

So, ladies and gents, I give you Moll Flanders. Cheater, liar, thief, whore, irresponsible mother and incestuous woman all in one. How, in the end, knowing all these things about her and not agreeing with any, the reader still feels sympathy for her, it's all in Defoe's writing talent. Because somehow, during the never ending events in Moll's life, you kind of like her; despite the facts, she is still warm-hearted and kind, and you get the feeling she does what she does only because she has no other choice (and yes, I agree, in 17th century England being a widow with children and no income is not one of the brightest perspectives). I, for instance, was surprised to see how in each and every situation she found a way to overcome the problem, keeping herself out of prison, trusting the right people, moving into the right direction, placing her money in the right hands, ending in the right place, fully loaded. Because in life as we know it, things are never like this. It can work for two or three times, but eventually you're caught red handed, you're betrayed and left alone.

As hard as Defoe tried (did he?) to convince the readers that eventually she repented and felt sorry about the kind of life she had led, I'm not satisfied. Too obvious a happy ending for a woman who continued to live from the money she had stolen, even if her conscience was finally clean - finding one of her sons and eventually starting acting like a mother, when she was in her 60s.

So even if I found no particular pleasure in Defoe's style, I must appreciate the remarkable art with which he treats a subject like this.
(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 22, 2009

Lisa added it · review of another edition

Moll Flanders first and formost challenges ones conception of right and wrong. Do the ends (survival) justify the means (whatever deception or crime it takes to secure it). In the past, I have always been one to argue, emphatically, that no, there is no such thing as situational ethics. Yet, as I read this book, i realized that my thoughts on this came from a life of ease, in a society of justice and equal oportunity. I am left thanking God that I was not a woman, especially one fallen on hard ...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Oct 09, 2010

Donna rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of classics

Recommended to Donna by: myself

Shelves: 1001-books, crime, historical, romance, english-literature, england, classic, read-in-scotland

My first thoughts on the reason why I disliked this book were that it was because of the old style of writing, but considering Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ford and Cervantes all provided enjoyable works before Defoe was on the scene, I therefore must look to the writer's skill as a fault in itself.
I don't believe 'Moll Flanders' to be a well crafted story. This is mainly due to the fact that the protagonist's many displays of 'dumb luck' leave an air of contrivance which contaminates the entire...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Aug 06, 2008

Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 18th-century, brit-lit, fiction, owned

Largely confusing, frenetic action interspersed with long, prosy, preachy morality lessons, and then plunged right back into constant action again. Defoe's storytelling appears almost entirely random, especially towards the end, picking out one tale to tell of her wicked ways and days, and suppressing others that sound much more interesting. There's hardly any reflection on character here, if any at all. I'm not counting the times when Defoe pauses to lecture his audience on God's mercy while ha...moreLargely confusing, frenetic action interspersed with long, prosy, preachy morality lessons, and then plunged right back into constant action again. Defoe's storytelling appears almost entirely random, especially towards the end, picking out one tale to tell of her wicked ways and days, and suppressing others that sound much more interesting. There's hardly any reflection on character here, if any at all. I'm not counting the times when Defoe pauses to lecture his audience on God's mercy while having Moll pretend to be stricken by conscience by things that seem highly improbable, with outcomes afterwards which seem positively incredulous.

I'll give just one sequence of action to describe the ridiculous back and forth of this book. After many years as a thief, in which she says over and over that she's essentially become a klepto and can't stop stealing, even though she's made enough to retire upon, she runs into this drunk rich gentleman who pays her to act the whore for the evening- despite the fact that she's already told us that she's a thief now because she's nearly fifty and guys dont' find her hot enough to take as a mistress or a wife anymore. We're suddently told she looks "ten or twelve," years younger than her actual age, and so of course she's still pretty enough to get guys. 'Cause Defoe changed his mind? Then she robs him after sleeping with him and makes off with all his nice stuff, worth a lot of money. So you think her klepto soul would be pleased, right? But then! She goes home and randomly feels really bad about it, though she never does about many of her other stealings, and also comments that this guy deserved it for his behavior, as if to justify herself. Then she and her "governess," the woman who sells all the stuff she steals, have a long moral cry over what they've done to the fine gentleman. No, really. They're geniunely upset about it. Then they find out who he is, and the governess brings him his stuff back. And he's so grateful for the moral lesson of being robbed so that he doesn't go around drunk and picking up random women anymore that he asks to meet Moll. Which I thought for a second was a clever way of getting her arrested, but no! It turns out that he wants to give her even /more/ money to bless her soul for reminding him to stay out of sin.

... WTF? No. No! Doesn't make sense by any laws of any nature or religion or storytelling or most important, believable character building that I know!

He never really makes Moll a character at all, but rather a conduit for his opinions of the time and place. His constant message is that a girl like Moll could have led a moral life, if only she had enough money to do so. She falls in and out of good circumstances, and is a good person so long as she has the money to be. He does emphasize what a problem it was especially for a woman with no resources, and her very limited options for getting by in the world, especially if she is no longer young or beautiful. I do give him credit for that. But he makes her so unappealing... I mean, all her thoughts are either preachy and moral and obviously from Defoe himself, or justifying what she does, or glorying in her successes. She seems to forget that she has children half the time. She cares about what becomes of only one of them, and seems to disregard the other, oh.. eight of them? She doesn't seem to care for clothes, her appearance is only mentioned in connection with morality or disguising herself, she hardly has any female friends, nor do they ever talk about what women would have talked about at the time. There's no convincing /woman/ in there. Not really a person, either, but the woman part was the most glaring.

Honestly, this was just not my thing at all. Very off putting, and even the constant action and tales of wicked sins that she committed got boring, since we heard only the story without the characters. Everybody was a cardboard cut out, no unncessary details given. I barely made it through.

(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Dec 07, 2008

Janet rated it

· review of another edition

If Robinson Crusue can be Betteridge's handbook for life (The Moonstone), I think Moll Flanders may become mine. I can't see DeFoe as a reliable woman's voice, but he brings a curiously apt man's perspective to how women should view -- and treat -- men, which in itself is worth the price of the book. Perhaps the biggest "tell" that Moll's voice was not truly a woman's voice was the cavalier manner in which she told of the births/lives/deaths of her -- what? -- twelve or thirteen chil...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 24, 2007

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: a select few

Shelves: classics

i am struggling to finish this book. it will be one of those that i muscle through till the end simply because i am stubborn and like to finish things (like books). i expected it to be like Robinson Crusoe, which had a crude beginning but really picked up and developed the plot and character(s). This book, however, is more depressing than anything else. after all, how can one feel uplifted by reading the about the bad decisions and circumstances of a woman who is not entirely a victim of fate? s...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 23, 2009

Heather rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who read classics because they are classics and not because they are any good

Recommended to Heather by: study abroad reading list

Shelves: study-abroad-reading-list

I'm thinking this book is a classic because it might have been the first to confess with near honesty the life of a whore and a thief. I have to say, you can tell it was written by a man because he just tacks on the children as each marriage/relationship comes to an end. Children are a bit more trouble than that Mr. DeFoe!

Anyway, I thought the story and writing in general were boring but such is life. And there are no chapters. None. It drove me crazy to stop in the middle of a page ...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 21, 2007

Karl Steel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books_i_taught, postmedieval_fiction

Better than John Bunyan's Grace abounding to the Chief of Sinners; more detailed a portrait than the Wife of Bath, who also, remember, had 5 wives (EDIT: by which of course I mean five HUSBANDS); hell, it's probably the best book of its kind. But how in god's name am I going to teach it?

This edition interesting for its Virginia Woolf introduction, which is mainly about Robinson Crusoe, about which she has more interesting things to say than she does Moll Flanders. The Woolf is also a...more

like 1 like

· see review

Oct 04, 2011

Jerri Brissette rated it

· review of another edition

From references to this book plus a movie I only somewhat remember, I expected this to be a very amusing romp of a light hearted, fairly immoral woman. As it turns out, it's a not-so-amusing story of a woman who was a common thief (but not totally due to neccesity); a woman who seemed incapable of being honest even with her husbands and best friends; and worse of all a cold hearted mother though she claimed to love her children and found it hard to desert them, nevertheless, she did so repeatedl...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 17, 2012

Nicholas Whyte rated it

· review of another edition

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1847904.ht...

I thoroughly enjoyed Moll Flanders, or to be more precise The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, etc. 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 died a Penitent. Her life is indeed o...morehttp://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1847904.ht...

I thoroughly enjoyed Moll Flanders, or to be more precise The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, etc. 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 died a Penitent. Her life is indeed one of "continu'd Variety", as she lurches from exploitative marriage to disastrous marriage to unwitting incest and back again, before breaking successfully into the business of petty theft, in the end being arrested almost by accident for a crime she had not yet committed. Defoe has her turn moralistic only at the very end, when she and the fourth husband (I think - I lost count) return to England "where we resolve to spend the remainder of our years in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived", and I sort of forgive that because one can read it as partly tongue-in-cheek, and also though a weak-ish ending it is stronger than the ending of Robinson Crusoe so obviously he was learning. I must also admit that she is rather unrealistically sanguine about the fate of her children, of whom we hear very little.

It's a fascinating pen-picture of England in the early seventeenth century, where urban social networks were small and intimate enough that you could steal from a shop at one end of town and sell your loot to their competitor at the other; where constables were aware enough of the rights of citizens under the law to be easily intimidated by a sharp-witted suspect; where people would invest wealth not only in hard cash ("which every one knows is an unprofitable cargo to be carried to the plantations") but also in jewels, silver plate, cloth and easily portable luxury goods. One thing that hasn't changed, which she reflects on bitterly in the gap between husbands two and three (I think - again, I had already lost count) is the differential social power between women and men, even allowing for economic factors; Defoe verges on feminism in a couple of passages.

Anyway, very strongly recommended, if you like "continu'd Variety"; and who doesn't?(less)

like

· see review

Nov 02, 2011

Bruce rated it

· review of another edition

The author’s preface is a means of deflecting criticism of the moral tone of this picaresque novel by emphasizing the moral benefit the content may produce in the careful reader. One assumes that it was written tongue in cheek and in the conventions of the times, times in which the novel itself was in low repute and needed such justification for its acceptance.

The impoverished daughter of deceased parents, both of whom were rogues, Moll is raised in an orphanage until she is placed wi...moreThe author’s preface is a means of deflecting criticism of the moral tone of this picaresque novel by emphasizing the moral benefit the content may produce in the careful reader. One assumes that it was written tongue in cheek and in the conventions of the times, times in which the novel itself was in low repute and needed such justification for its acceptance.

The impoverished daughter of deceased parents, both of whom were rogues, Moll is raised in an orphanage until she is placed with a kind woman who cares for her until the woman dies, Moll at the time being a young adolescent. Then going to live with a family that has befriended her, she is seduced by the older brother, his younger brother proposing marriage to Moll without being aware of her relationship with his brother. Moll is ever naïve, proud of her beauty and far too credulous, convinced that she wants not to be a servant and too easily convinced by the lies her lover tells her. Material wellbeing is her goal, by which she means independence and physical comfort rather than luxury.

This is a tale of deceptions, of masks and disguises. It explores the personae we construct and then select among for different audiences, not least ourselves. What do we really know of others? What do we really know of ourselves? What are the stories about ourselves that we tell out of shame and expediency, and what are the ways in which we are not honest even with ourselves? What are the ways in which we pretend and justify, balancing those parts of ourselves that we judge acceptable against those that are not, creating a sort of moral balance sheet that enables us to struggle and survive amid the vicissitudes of life? How else could we manage to live at all in a difficult and chaotic world? The deck almost always stacked against her, Moll takes the only paths she can, adapting again and again to circumstances that are usually beyond her control.

Moll looks at circumstances very realistically and finds that she has few alternatives, acting pragmatically rather than on principle, although she often wishes that she did not have to do so. She has few options in 18th century London, and she makes the best she can of her opportunities, limited as they are. The position of an unattached woman without wealth is difficult, and she must live by her wits and her appearance. Moll is a curious mixture of the naïve and the calculating, of virtue and vice, of scrupulousness and opportunism. Her decisions are not always wise, certainly not always socially acceptable, but they are made with sincerity and out of self-preservation, out of a kind of calculating idealism, if that makes sense. In short, she is no cardboard or simplistic character but fully rounded, fully human. Wife five times (once to her own brother), mother, whore, thief, convicted felon, Moll is ever resourceful even when despairing, the ultimate survivor, always honest with herself and candid with the reader, and Defoe is skillfully able to make her an attractive figure who elicits the reader’s sympathies. Defoe’s style throughout is straightforward and journalistic; indeed, I believe there is not a metaphor anywhere in the book. This novel is a powerful commentary on 18th century English society, its classes and their tribulations, especially the plight of poor and uneducated women. It is a delightful book to read.
(less)

like

· see review

Oct 09, 2011

Joni rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 1700-1939-book-club, adult-not-kids-lit, coming-of-age, historical-fiction, interesting-place, immigrants

A classic I thought I should read, which became a very entertaining listen.
A fun story as she starts out low (born in a London prison), and becomes smart, strong, opportunistic yet charming. A coming-of-age story, as she, in her teens, looses her naivete, etc., then gets on with life doing what a girl's gotta do.
There are comic moments and conversations that made this fun listening, too - Dafoe was really good with extended dialogues. For example, trying to decide if she'll be pe...more

like

· see review

Aug 22, 2011

Dani Peloquin rated it

· review of another edition

The plot of this novel is best summarized by its extended title: "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. 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 died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums." More specifically, Mo...more

like

· see review

May 28, 2011

Vasha7 rated it

· review of another edition

In full, the title page of this novel reads The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. 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 died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums. This plot summary doesn't indicate the most interestin...moreIn full, the title page of this novel reads The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. 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 died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums. This plot summary doesn't indicate the most interesting part of the novel, namely how Moll did all these things. The other appeal of the book, of course, is the panorama it presents of the social relations of the time.

I note that Moll almost always manages to present herself as a gentlewoman, although she is not one, neither by birth nor by legitimate marriage. She takes pains to maintain certain standards of appearance, speech, and manners, which stands her in good stead many times over, and at last enables her to buy her freedom in the Colonies and pass there as a respectable citizen. This seems to be Defoe's commentary on the difficulty of knowing anyone's true background in the changing, enterprising society of his time; indeed there are many people in this story who put up a front of more respectability than they can honestly claim, or who seem more prosperous than they really are. In the Colonies, Moll finds lasting prosperity and durable reputation; Defoe apparently regards it as a place where the past is washed away, origins count for little or nothing, and appearance really is substance.

Much of the important substance of the book is composed of the various delicate negotiations Moll must undertake in order to find and secure a husband or a lover, to extract as much material security as possible from the relationship, and on occasion to get out of it if it's troublesome. These connections are nearly her only means of making a living, yet Moll doesn't see her dependent economic position as meaning she must sacrifice her own goals (which she constantly seeks means to pursue), nor cease from having her own thoughts and keeping secrets as she sees fit. (Interestingly, her last and most loving marriage is with a man who is clearly dependent on her: she's saved her highwayman's life twice, she's richer than him, and he constantly needs her advice as to how to make a living in the Colonies -- which he's humbly aware of.) Moll does always make it a point of honor to stay faithful to a relationship as long as it lasts. It's only when, at the age of 50, she sees no prospect of getting another man, that she turns to theft.

At that point, she's part of a mutually-aiding society of other thieves, mostly women. This companionship would be a good thing if only it weren't under the shadow of the gallows. She's honestly distressed any time any of her companions come to a bad end. Even before that, women had sometimes helped her in her affairs, and she had returned the favor (as with the woman whose supposed fortune she talked up to allow her to marry well).

Like every other modern reader I wondered whether the cavalier, plot-driven way that Moll's children appear and disappear in this book is due to the author being a man. More seriously, I was displeased by Defoe's crass morality that lasting material prosperity is the result of piety, whereas misfortune is the result of sin -- at least that is what he seems to be saying. However, aside from that, I liked this book very much.(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Apr 27, 2011

Ardesia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: xxx

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Leggere Moll Flanders è un'esperienza psichedelica: girata l'ultima pagina si ha la sensazione di aver assistito alla proiezione sovrapposta/incrociata/intrallazzata di almeno una decina di film in cui tutti i ruoli femminili vengono ricoperti dalla stessa persona.
Moll usa diversi nomi e diversi modi di essere; all'occorrenza recita la parte dell'oca giuliva, un miscuglio insondabili tra Marilyn Monroe e la Julie Andrews di "Tutti insieme appassionatamente", ma è talmente furba e...moreLeggere Moll Flanders è un'esperienza psichedelica: girata l'ultima pagina si ha la sensazione di aver assistito alla proiezione sovrapposta/incrociata/intrallazzata di almeno una decina di film in cui tutti i ruoli femminili vengono ricoperti dalla stessa persona.
Moll usa diversi nomi e diversi modi di essere; all'occorrenza recita la parte dell'oca giuliva, un miscuglio insondabili tra Marilyn Monroe e la Julie Andrews di "Tutti insieme appassionatamente", ma è talmente furba e determinata da inventarsi realtà alternative che riuscirebbero a far impallidire l'Agente Smith di "Matrix" (che peraltro probabilmente troverebbe il modo di impalmare, assieme a tutti i suoi cloni e ad una manciata di parenti) e allo stesso tempo è anche la Holly fragile e un po' svitata di "Colazione da Tiffany" e la Kim Basinger assatanata di "9 settimane e mezzo".
È un mistero di quelli tosti: leggi un libro di fine '600 ed ecco che ci trovi dentro dei pezzetti di "Basic Instinct", "Moulin Rouge", "Proposta indecente", "Pretty Woman".
Ma la cosa più curiosa non è nemmeno essere risucchiati dal vortice delle coreografie di un "Sette spose per sette fratelli" in cui una sola protagonista riesce a recitare simultaneamente le parti di tutte le sette sorelle e anche quelle di qualche loro amica, tenendo fronte a tutti i fratelli, anzi, spolpandoli, e senza che nessuno dei diretti interessati sospetti di non essere l'unico oggetto delle sue attenzioni; quel che lascia veramente interdetti è il mistero dei figli di questa donna multitasking. Sì perché tra i vari mariti e amanti ci scappano anche una dozzina di figli sulla cui sorte però il signor Defoe, forse interamente occupato a carpire attraverso la divinazione col pendolino spunti per l'intreccio dalla produzione cinematografica futuribile, si degna di darci soltanto qualche becera informazione che il più delle volte, diciamocelo, ha la consistenza emotiva di una lista della spesa.
Moll procrea dodici figli. Di questi, quattro moriranno in tenera età e dei restanti nove si verrà a sapere soltanto la fine di uno, di quello la cui storia riuscirà a gettare l'ombra dell'oblio sull'esistenza di tutti gli altri. Cos'avrà mai fatto questo figlio di buona donna - letteralmente e letterariamente - per meritarsi la luce della ribalta? Come minimo avrà salvato una cheerleader, direte voi. No, l'arcano è molto più elementare, Watson: il baldo giovine è l'unico in potere di far entrare la rediviva madre in possesso di un lascito ereditario. Cuore di mamma!
Ma non voglio addossare tutte le colpe a 'sta povera donna che per comprarsi la pagnotta se n'è dovuta inventare di tutti i colori; in realtà a muovere i fili è Defoe, a cui una notte in sogno deve essere apparso la miopìa di Christopher Lambert a svelargli che alla fine ne sarebbe rimasto soltanto uno, e figurarsi se quello non si attaccava come una cozza allo spunto e non infilava nel romanzo anche una spruzzata di "Highlander". Tanto era ai figli di quella là che toccava far la fine di un mucchietto di mosche schiacciate tra le pagine di un libro, mica a lui.
Comunque bisogna dare a Defoe quel che è di Defoe: avrà anche anacronisticamente svaligiato metà della produzione cinematografica del ventesimo secolo, ma è anche grazie al suo "Robinson Crusoe" che ora ci pappiamo "Lost", quindi suvvìa, niente recriminazioni... e tanti saluti ai figli scomparsi di Moll, che se tanto mi da tanto prima o poi si imbatteranno in John Locke e compagnia bella, anche se da parte mia gli auguro di essere andati a finire non coi sopravvissuti del volo Oceanic 815, ma assieme ai bambini perduti dell'altra isola, quella che non c'è. (less)

like

· see review

Mar 31, 2011

Ana Mardoll rated it

· review of another edition

Moll Flanders / 0-451-52633-3

Defoe's novel, Moll Flanders, one of the first English novels follows the "true" story of a lower-class woman who eventually turns to a life of petty thievery and prostitution - partly as a means to survive, and partly in the hopes of reaching a middle-class life of relative riches and ease.

This thin little novel is a fairly quick read and the story pacing moves at a quick clip as we read through the salacious and scandalous life of this matron. Moll Flande...more

like

· see review

Mar 11, 2011

Christine rated it

· review of another edition

In a way, I can see why this book is important. In an old fashioned era, this "memoir" speaks to some shocking behavior, even by modern standards. Moll Flanders is one of the most despicable women in literature - a heroine by some standards for her will to survive no matter what the cost yet also a self-professed villain. And boy, does she leave a lot of corpses and abandoned children on her path to final prosperity. Throughout the book, Moll manages to attach herself to people who...more

like

· see review

Feb 15, 2011

Taiaja rated it

· review of another edition

Excellent, excellent, excellent book...not in the storyline or the character...but in the INSIGHT that Defoe writes about being a woman in his contemporary society. I think every woman should read this book...because his advice is still relevant today.

Some excerpts (which will not give away the storyline):

"Nothing is more certain than that the Ladies always gain of the Men by keeping their Ground, and letting their pretended Lovers see they can Resent being slighted...more

like

· see review

Oct 29, 2010

Valentin rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like

· see review

May 19, 2010

Sonya Anderson rated it

· review of another edition

Granted, Moll Flanders world is not the world we live in today, however she has her own version of what it means to be penitant and triumphant. In short, this book was excessively diverting from beginning to end with all of its twists, turns, and cliffhangers. I was entertained.
What I did not appreciate was the lack of chapter breaks - it is one very long narrative. I also didn't appreciate the descriptions of how she forever changed and became penitant. She did not repent of anything, b...more

like

· see review

title link	preview: Moll Flanders
avg rating	preview: Moll Flanders Goodreads rating: 3.34 (7256 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7279524-moll-flanders?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328706966m/7279524.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7279524-moll-flanders?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe[/url]

Moll Flanders

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (250)

Genres

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Daniel Defoe

Books by Daniel Defoe

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Moll Flanders

Quotes from Moll Flanders

Groups That Shelved Moll Flanders