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kiri_johnston 's review for:
Moll Flanders
by Daniel Defoe
Like most 18th-century novels, this was fun and hilarious in parts but exceedingly boring in most. It's quite repetitive and dodgy in terms of its portrayal of women, but the latter can be excused because 1700s - and to be honest Moll's quite a modern lass for the time. She steals, she screws around, she has a questionable approach to business, but ultimately she's a moral woman who swings through vice and ends up in 'virtue'. Liked this more than Tom Jones purely because it focuses on a female protagonist and thus gives a more interesting portrayal of what life was like in the 1700s for the 'less fortunate' half of the population. From a historical perspective, it's pretty standard stuff, though was probably quite shocking at the time, as all interesting things are! Would've enjoyed studying this as a set text for English Literature, but as a casual home-read it was a bit dry. Moll was quite a fun character but ultimately let down by the author's fascination with female virtue and a repetitive plot. If you want a bawdy 18th-century novel that focuses more on female sexuality and the ethics of desire, try Fanny Hill; if anything, it'll make you laugh more than this does!