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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
Moll Flanders’ autobiography takes us through her life story of husband-hunting, thieving, downfalls and redemptions. Written in 1722 this is a ‘classic’ that still resonates with today’s feisty heroines, con artists and tongue in cheek morality tales.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It really surprised me how modern this felt. Moll is a flawed, yet resilient, woman with agency. The storytelling is compassionate and non-judgemental, preferring to to look into why she behaved the way she did rather than condemning her outright for behaviour, ranging from slightly immoral at the time to completely unacceptable even by today’s standards. Even as she disregards convention and morality, she continues to evoke empathy and appreciation. Overall a great read.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was hard to read because of all the differences in the writing of then and now. Thankfully the internet helped me discover what murther means (murder spelled archaically). Also it doesn't have any chapters, which I realized for me is a necessity to gauge how I'm doing in the reading process. Also whenever I pick it up again, I have to reorient myself to what is happening. Since it is one if the first novels, I have to give it the benefit of prehistoric formatting (smiley face 'cause I don't know how to insert one). Also, after a while I got used to the random capitalization and dialogue. The author did it because he had to show what words needed to be stressed.
It's funny to see what Defoe thinks is important or not, or what he chooses to focus on. While he spends a few pages on one of her many marriages, he spends half the book discussing how she became a burglar. He gives her plenty if space to talk about how she goes through the repentance process with the minister, and only a couple words to mention she had a child. He doesn't understand women, depicting them as money-hungry whores that could care less about their children. Out of the 8 she has, two get anything worthy than mere mentioning. One is the one she had out of wedlock, and unlike the rest if them, she is tortured by the thought if leaving the baby (like it bothered you before, dear Moll?). The other is only important because he gives her money and is the only one she gets to know when he's old. Of course, during this time period, money and status is very important, but with a sensitive, repentant soul like Moll's, don't you think she would have behaved like a normal woman and cared a little more about her children? Defoe does not depict her that way.
Another fact that to me makes Defoe misogynistic is that he glorifies every man that comes into the book. They are very quick to redeem themselves of every wrong they do, and Moll looks at them like they can do no wrong.
However, now that I've had my two cents about the book, I have to say its an interesting storyline that I never would have imagined. Moll takes on a surprising turn with every decision she makes in her life. I was pleased with the fairy tale ending.
It's funny to see what Defoe thinks is important or not, or what he chooses to focus on. While he spends a few pages on one of her many marriages, he spends half the book discussing how she became a burglar. He gives her plenty if space to talk about how she goes through the repentance process with the minister, and only a couple words to mention she had a child. He doesn't understand women, depicting them as money-hungry whores that could care less about their children. Out of the 8 she has, two get anything worthy than mere mentioning. One is the one she had out of wedlock, and unlike the rest if them, she is tortured by the thought if leaving the baby (like it bothered you before, dear Moll?). The other is only important because he gives her money and is the only one she gets to know when he's old. Of course, during this time period, money and status is very important, but with a sensitive, repentant soul like Moll's, don't you think she would have behaved like a normal woman and cared a little more about her children? Defoe does not depict her that way.
Another fact that to me makes Defoe misogynistic is that he glorifies every man that comes into the book. They are very quick to redeem themselves of every wrong they do, and Moll looks at them like they can do no wrong.
However, now that I've had my two cents about the book, I have to say its an interesting storyline that I never would have imagined. Moll takes on a surprising turn with every decision she makes in her life. I was pleased with the fairy tale ending.
I’ve read three of Daniel Defoe’s books now, and it has been a positive reading experience in conjunction with a Roundtable group project concentrating on [b:The Novel: A Biography|18770233|The Novel A Biography|Michael Schmidt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384016860s/18770233.jpg|26673094]. Moll Flanders continues the technique Defoe employs of a fictional journal disguised as a real life being unfolded. This novel read like a linked stories collection in that I was drawn more deeply into some parts than others. One I especially enjoyed was . The narration of the audio book was a high point as well. Moll was a strong character and I enjoyed following her many exploits. Her life would have been a struggle, but reading about her was a lot of fun!
Spoiler
the marriage where both parties believed the other had a fortune
Admittedly didn't read this in high school when it was assigned, and picked it up a few years after graduating. It gets 2 stars because it taught me a valuable lesson: you don't have to finish every book.
Gets married, has kids, moves on, gets married, has kids, moves on, gets married... you get the picture. For goodness sakes this woman has about 20 kids by the end of the book (maybe I'm exaggerating). Maybe I'm a horrible person and the plight of the lower class woman just didn't strike me the way it should have. Dragged myself 3/4 of the way through, checked the wikipedia outline to find out how it ended, and moved on.
Gets married, has kids, moves on, gets married, has kids, moves on, gets married... you get the picture. For goodness sakes this woman has about 20 kids by the end of the book (maybe I'm exaggerating). Maybe I'm a horrible person and the plight of the lower class woman just didn't strike me the way it should have. Dragged myself 3/4 of the way through, checked the wikipedia outline to find out how it ended, and moved on.
I’ve been making a conscious effort this year to pick up more classics. I have so many on my tbr shelf, I just never pick them up! One of my first classics of this year was Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe ✍️
This novel follows the life of Moll, “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.”
Whilst I found the basic storyline interesting, this novel felt like it was wayyyyy longer than it needed to be. Some of the plot lines really captured my attention (specifically her marriages and life as a thief), but for the most part this was a bit of a slog. I’m glad I picked it up, however, it doesn’t quite live up to my enjoyment of Robinson Crusoe by the same author.
This novel follows the life of Moll, “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.”
Whilst I found the basic storyline interesting, this novel felt like it was wayyyyy longer than it needed to be. Some of the plot lines really captured my attention (specifically her marriages and life as a thief), but for the most part this was a bit of a slog. I’m glad I picked it up, however, it doesn’t quite live up to my enjoyment of Robinson Crusoe by the same author.