Literature Companion: Moll Flanders

By History World

“Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe was first published in 1722. The complete title of the novel is “The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders.”

The novel describes the life of Moll Flanders right from her birth to her old age. As the title suggests, the entire story is focused on Moll.

Defoe’s novel “Robinson Crusoe” had brought him enormous name and fame when it was first published in 1719. By that time, Defoe had become a recognized author and novelist.

Literature Companion: Moll Flanders
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Jun 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311981363

Book preview

Literature Companion: Moll Flanders

Copyright

Literature Companion: Moll Flanders

History World

Copyright@2015 History World

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

Chapter One: Introduction

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe was first published in 1722. The complete title of the novel is The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders.

The novel describes the life of Moll Flanders right from her birth to her old age. As the title suggests, the entire story is focused on Moll.

Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe had brought him enormous name and fame when it was first published in 1719. By that time, Defoe had become a recognized author and novelist.

Defoe had been associated with both Whig and Tory party leaders at that time. However, he was never at ease with the Walpole group.

The author’s Whig views are quite apparent in Moll Flanders. When the novel was first published, its original printing did not have the name of the author. Now, it is generally assumed that Daniel Defoe had written the novel.

The book has not lost its popularity even today, and it is often prescribed in the course of study at several schools and colleges.

Chapter Two: Plot Overview

The story begins with the introduction of Moll’s mother. She is a convict, spending her time in Newgate Prison in London. In those days it was the law that the pregnant criminals were spared execution. It was called ‘pleading belly.’

Moll’s mother is also given a reprieve by ‘pleading her belly.’ Eventually, her mother is sent to America.

The narrator reveals that Moll Flanders is not her birth name. After the departure of her mother, Moll is raised by a goodly foster mother until she is an adolescent.

Having reached adolescence, Moll begins to work as a servant in a household. The family has two sons. Both sons love Moll. The elder of the sons is able to seduce her by telling her to act like they were married in bed.

He, however, does not want to marry her, but he persuades Moll to marry his younger brother. They get married. Five years after her marriage, Moll becomes a widow. She leaves her children with her in-laws.

He begins to enable herself to pass as a rich widow to attract a man who will marry her and make her life secure. She marries a gentleman-tradesman, but he happens to be spendthrift.

He goes bankrupt and flees to the Continent, leaving Moll on her own. Before leaving her, he tells her to do the best she can to forget him. Moll and her runaway husband had a child but he died.

Then she marries another man, a kindly person. She goes to Virginia with him where she is introduced to the man’s mother. They have three children, but one of them dies. Moll learns that her mother-in-law