Moll Flanders (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback – October 5, 1993

Well written. Easy to read. Great storyline.

Book came in good condition

Really good product

This book was amazing. I loved it. Much more than I thought I would—it was written in 1722, and I usually find older works difficult. But this…this was a masterpiece.I’m not even sure I can say that it was due to affection for Moll herself that I liked it. I found her rather difficult to relate to. She had a very bland personality and related her story quite objectively. Yes, there were some emotional moments, but it was mostly lack thereof. I mean, she went through men like crazy. She had to have been through at least ten of them by story’s end. And she liked each one, but hopped so quickly from one to the other it was hard to believe she had any real love for any of them. And of course she was religious too, and repented the uglier side of her past, which included being a very successful thief. She knew she could have retired after a while, but she just couldn’t stop when she should have, and thus was her (almost) ruin. All in all, she was just not my type of person.But there’s no denying that she was skilled at what she did, and very lucky too. She knew how to manage people very well, those she did know—she often complained about having no friends, but found very valuable ones quickly in every case. She knew how to manage money and stretch a pound (or shilling or guinea). She knew how to make money, even if it came to stealing, and that she did very well (becoming the infamous Moll Flanders in the process). But she was able to live pretty honestly before that, even though she relied mostly on men supporting her. She was just insanely lucky that whenever she fell into misfortune, it turned ‘round again pretty soon. Sometimes it was by her own hand and sometimes it was just plain luck, but it always turned out more than well. She made the right friends and outlasted most of them—many of the people she knew died or were sent to Newgate. She was much more fortunate than she deserved. Even at her lowest point—when she was in Newgate sentenced to death—View Spoiler » Not many were as lucky.Yes, I do think that she got far better than she deserved, but I think the whole story was a darn good one. This was more of a plot story than a character story. There were so many adventures, one after the other, and I had to keep reading to see how she would get out of this scrape or that one. The historical aspect made it interesting because it was unpredictable. I didn’t know the avenues for escaping a sentence in 1600s London. I didn’t know how much money was worth and how useful letters were—they solved so many problems. I mean, I’m sure a phone call would do that today, but it was just so different. Things were so easily achieved, especially if you had money. Someone convicted of a felony would be treated like a king with most people if he had the right attitude and a fat wallet. And good friends.I also like how Moll is using her story to impart a message to us. She frequently stops and reflects on certain parts of her adventures, theorizing on human nature and the difference between the sexes. She considers her place in her own life and recognises that there are other people outside of herself (even when it is hard to tell from her actions). Her main point is to get the reader to see her tale as one of caution—don’t do what she did because all this harm might befall the reader. Even though it turned out quite well for her, it’s not worth all the evils of her past. Like I said, she was insanely lucky, and she knows it.But I would recommend this to anyone in the mood for a rousing, page-turning series of adventures and misadventures.

To fully understand and appreciate Moll Flanders you should have some understanding of the status of fiction at the time Daniel DeFoe was writing and some knowledge about the man himself. As Nancy Springer has indicated, the novel is an example of a "picaresque adventure," a style of writing that was popular at the time. These stories glorified a new kind of hero--the ordinary person, who engaged in a series of often wild and improbable events in exotic places. The picaresque rouge was a rebel against the remains of the feudal system with its hierarchy of human worth. Such novels featured a clever, strong-minded, low-born character who knew how to survive. What DeFoe did differently is to make his character a women and have her adventures take place largely in England.The novel is also largely autobiographical. DeFoe himself experienced many financial ups and downs, yet he persevered. In fact it wasn't until he was 60 years old that he began writing novels and achieved some measure of fame and financial success. He spent time in Newgate prison and deeply in debt. He was also an outspoken political reformer who wrote more than 250 political pamphlets.Having said the above, the novel still has its faults. One is that it is written in a continuous manner with no chapter breaks. While DeFoe may have been trying to say that time is continuous and that distinctions (such as hours, days, weeks, etc.) are mere fabrications, still readers like to have books broken down into chapters. A more serious flaw is the lack of names. Apart from her first husband there are virtually no names given to the characters. Even Moll herself is not identified by the title name until well into the book and even this name is not her actual name (which we never learn). Instead characters are identified in some impersonal way (my Lancashire husband, my governess, etc.) The lack of names makes it hard for the reader to engender any sympathy for Moll and the other personages in the book. Also the action is so fast paced that it flashes by like looking through a kaleidoscope, the scenes and action constantly shifting and changing. For example, within the first 100 pages Moll is married five times, has several children, goes to Virginia, finds her mother, etc. There is no time for the reader to reflect on the tragedies that befall her, especially given that they are told in a matter-of-fact manner.The book can be divided into two parts. The first half deals with Moll's amorous life--her marriages and love affairs. The second part focuses primarily on her criminal activities. Both sections tell the story entirely from Moll's perspective. In many respects Moll is a match for Thackery's Becky Sharp. Both are low-born, both get positions in well-to-do families, both marry one of the sons in the family, both are attractive and quick witted, both scheme to get money and both have various adventures and misadventures. But Vanity Fair is written as a social commentary and Thackery uses the omnipotent story teller to advantage, even having him speak directly to the reader. DeFoe, by comparison, limits himself to having his protagonist say, in effect, now I did this, then I did that, then this happened, etc.To give DeFoe his due, the book does provide a realistic and detailed account of life in England at that time. His description of Newgate prison is but one example. Perhaps Moll's attitude also reflected the times accurately. It can best be described as "a woman is nothing without a man and to get a man a woman must have money." Thus Moll spends the entire book pursuing both. But one can question how realistic Moll Flanders really is. She has a number of children, but seems to have little regard for them. Perhaps DeFoe, needing to rid Moll of encumbrances such as children in order to engage her in so many adventures, gave her what is an unnatural attitude for a mother. In the end he does reunite her with a son, but we should note that her motivation, at least at first, is financial not familial.All in all, the book is worth reading, but it is far from great literature.

This story seems a bit dated, and once you understand the premise that this is a fallen woman story, it becomes a little predictable and holds little suspense. One interesting aspect is that it's a man narrating as a woman, but the style gets a little crusty, and you can almost read the second half by just skimming the adjectives and nouns, good gentleman, good governess, horrid wretch, thief, and etc. Things go from bad to worse for Moll as she ages, and loses her money making beauty, but she eventually regains her peace of mind and some comfort through something like a stroke of luck and her re-deliverance to Virginia. Interesting that Virginia is considered a step down from the home island and a world of hard labor and servitude in the year 1683 as opposed to England.I would say that this story is a bit outdated, since it becomes just a list of misfortunes, and the premise that she is a penitent woman at the end of the story with many secrets and no confessional available is a bit hackneyed and lame. It's got it's points though and it serves as a valuable point for looking at literature of this time period. My main problem is that the story is broken into chunks of three page stories of misfortune and then another chapter starts (although there are no actual chapters) of misfortune. So there is after a whil a feeling of more of the same.

arrived quickly and safely in the post, without any fuss. Brought for my university course.The novel a girl who is dealt pretty good hands (considering the times) turns out to make all the wrong choices and ends up being seduced, caught stealing, deported and all sorts.In the end (surviving the odds death during childbirth, deportation and illness) all looks up for her (in a really cliche way)I won't give any more away for those who haven't read it but I'm kind of torn between really liking this book as a novel of historic importance, and hating it because the woman is just winey and 'falls ill' in a love fever. (such a typical misogynistic view of women in that era)Definitely give it a try though and make your own mind up.

I am not really enjoying this book although I want to. It is now on the side only partly started. Finding the language hard to follow and would say you need to be in a very certain frame of mind to read this book. Not my cup of tea and may not finish it

The antiquated spellings and particularly the Capital Letters preceding every Noun ,together with the absence of Chapter Breaks ,disrupt the smooth reading pleasure. But the storytelling and immediacy of the gossipy telling of the character's story are very real and alive.

Good book and in good condition

Reasonable book a bit long winded