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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
Absolutely wonderful! I was completely riveted from beginning to end. I wish it had been longer. :-)
I am dead exhausted from travel, so my review will be super short. There were no chapter breaks. Moll Flanders does not seem to have a deep inner life of thought and regret and joy? So many children, jeez. And husbands. No chapter breaks (seriously, never even a pause in the narration). Very interesting read. Recommended.
Honestly, what really tried me about this book was that there were NO BREAKS. No chapters, no sections, just the neverending story @_@ But, for a book read for class, it was fairly tolerable.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh Ms. Flanders, what an unchangeable creature you are. A whole novel with no chapter divisions is rather exhausting, but I enjoyed the experience. It is fascinating to me that a book nearly 400 years old can be engrossing and funny. Rather transparent and amusing moral diligence.
I went into this already pretty familiar with the story, having watched ITV's The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders repeatedly when I was younger (Alex Kingston was tremendous; I pictured her as Moll the entire time I was reading!) but I wasn't sure my enjoyment would translate to the book, which I suspected might be a slog, based on what I recalled of the miniseries' narration. However, I was encouraged to give it a go because of my love for complex, morally grey female characters (and unfairly demonised women).
To my surprise, I really enjoyed this. You can see how Defoe (considered the father of the English novel) is trying to define 'The Novel' in as stark a contrast to 'The Poem' as possible – where poetry is full of metaphor and symbolism open to interpretation, Defoe's writing is PAINFULLY precise (with whole paragraphs detailing the amount of money Moll has in her purse, the worth of various fabrics, etc.), but, more often than not, I actually really enjoyed feeling lost in Moll's sprawling stream of consciousness, with all its intricacies and repetition. It felt to me that this was how a woman like Moll, in this time and with this particular vocabulary, would speak and think. She has such a distinct character and voice.
This is the earliest truly 'feminist' novel I've ever read. Defoe emphasises how easily women (especially those not born into money – or even family, as a result of the harshness of the early UK criminal justice system) could be plunged into poverty, due to, for example, having no husband to support them, being widowed with children, finding themselves in disadvantagous match, etc. This forces you to ask if Moll's 'sins' really make her 'wicked' or just a woman doing what she must, in order to survive.
ULTIMATE SPOILER: Defoe's choice not to punish Moll's 'wickedness' by taking her life at the gallows but instead allow her to ultimately find love, prosperity and happiness was a subversive, radical one that moved me.
Personally, I love Moll and would forgive her just about anything. I deeply admire her tenacity and ability to turn any situation to her advantage. She's never down for very long. ❤️
Side note: I find it funny how the blurbs of some editions, and common belief, seem to indicate that Moll is a sex worker when she never engages in anything of the sort?
To my surprise, I really enjoyed this. You can see how Defoe (considered the father of the English novel) is trying to define 'The Novel' in as stark a contrast to 'The Poem' as possible – where poetry is full of metaphor and symbolism open to interpretation, Defoe's writing is PAINFULLY precise (with whole paragraphs detailing the amount of money Moll has in her purse, the worth of various fabrics, etc.), but, more often than not, I actually really enjoyed feeling lost in Moll's sprawling stream of consciousness, with all its intricacies and repetition. It felt to me that this was how a woman like Moll, in this time and with this particular vocabulary, would speak and think. She has such a distinct character and voice.
This is the earliest truly 'feminist' novel I've ever read. Defoe emphasises how easily women (especially those not born into money – or even family, as a result of the harshness of the early UK criminal justice system) could be plunged into poverty, due to, for example, having no husband to support them, being widowed with children, finding themselves in disadvantagous match, etc. This forces you to ask if Moll's 'sins' really make her 'wicked' or just a woman doing what she must, in order to survive.
ULTIMATE SPOILER: Defoe's choice not to punish Moll's 'wickedness' by taking her life at the gallows but instead allow her to ultimately find love, prosperity and happiness was a subversive, radical one that moved me.
Personally, I love Moll and would forgive her just about anything. I deeply admire her tenacity and ability to turn any situation to her advantage. She's never down for very long. ❤️
Side note: I find it funny how the blurbs of some editions, and common belief, seem to indicate that Moll is a sex worker when she never engages in anything of the sort?
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 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.
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.
I didn't like it at all in the beginning, but warmed to it as time went on.
I found it hard to imagine abandoning children so easily. To my mind this could only have been done by not having any participation in raising them. I don't picture a child not becoming endearing to a mother, once she has begun to raise it. Pass the children out of sight and to the care of another, then you can ignore their existence.
Surely unmarried women had some recourse for making a living then. Did society doom every spinster to become a trollop to survive?
I think Moll was lazy not to have used her sewing skills. The excitement of duping men and committing crimes sometimes seemed to be a hobby with Moll, rather than a necessity.
Moll cleverly slept her way to the top and eventually ran out of charm.
I found it hard to imagine abandoning children so easily. To my mind this could only have been done by not having any participation in raising them. I don't picture a child not becoming endearing to a mother, once she has begun to raise it. Pass the children out of sight and to the care of another, then you can ignore their existence.
Surely unmarried women had some recourse for making a living then. Did society doom every spinster to become a trollop to survive?
I think Moll was lazy not to have used her sewing skills. The excitement of duping men and committing crimes sometimes seemed to be a hobby with Moll, rather than a necessity.
Moll cleverly slept her way to the top and eventually ran out of charm.
Daniel Defoe’s 18th century novel dealing with the ups and downs in the life of Moll Flanders, both lady and prostitute. I have been meaning to read this since forever, feeling as I did that while it might be an important literary piece, it was going to be a slow and painful read. In the end, I was surprised how modern it felt, how witty, and how perceptive. Surprisingly good! I may have to procure a copy of Robinson Crusoe next.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No