Book description
Born in Newgate prison and abandoned six months later, Moll's drive
to find and hold on to a secure place in society propels her through
incest, adultery, bigamy, prostitution and a resourceful career as a
thief ('the greatest Artist of my time') before she is apprehended and
returned to Newgate.
If Moll Flanders is on one level a Puritan's tale of sin and
repentance, through self-made, self-reliant Moll its rich subtext
conveys all the paradoxes and amoralities of the struggle for property
and power in Defoe's newly individualistic society.
Daniel Defoe was born in London in 1660. He was a successful
hosiery merchant. He served as a secret agent for William III and
single-handedly produced the review, a pro-government newspaper. He
turned to fiction late in life and published his firstimaginative work
'Robinson Crusoe' in 1719. Defoe had a great influence on the
development of the English novel and many consider him to be the first
true novelist.
David Blewett is Professor of English at Mcmaster University in
Hamilton, Ontario.
