Study Materials for Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders

1. Analyze the full title to this book, along with other information conveyed on Defoe's original title page. Why is that information there, and why is it presented in the way it is?

2. Is this a realistic novel? Discuss the novel in terms of realism. What sort of details does Defoe include to create an impression of reality? Why might he wish us to see the novel as "history" rather than romance/
– see the preface, the final words of the novel, and specific details like street and place names.

3. Consider Moll Flanders both as character (in general) and as heroine (in particular).
How does she conform to our expectations of heroism? How does she violate those expectations?
How and why does Defoe manage to make her so attractive to us that we can "forgive" her for her apparently deviant behavior?
What is her greatest or strongest attribute? Her greatest weakness?

4. In what ways can the novel be seen either as praise of or condemnation of what has come to be called the "work ethic"?

5. Do you find any examples of IRONY in this novel? If you're not sure, look up a good definition of "irony."

6. Chief among Moll's values is capitalism. How is the theme of capitalism explored and developed in the novel? Examples?
– Note already within the first thirty pages the connection that is established between sex and money. Is Defoe suggesting that Moll is "preconditioned" to prostitution? If not, what is the author up to?

7. Why does Moll spend so much time discussing money and property anyway?

8. Why does the society of Moll's time condemn petty thieves to death and yet condone the sexual eccentricities and excesses we see in the novel? What is Defoe's point?

9. Discuss Moll's morals (Here we go!). What sort of responses do you suppose the author wanted us to have to her? How do you know? Evidence? Can we judge her objectivity, on any sort of empirical scale? What are we to make of Moll's frank enjoyment of sex?

10. Is sex a metaphor in this novel? If you're unsure, look up "metaphor" in that same dictionary.
– Are there any controlling metaphors in this novel?

11. Why does Moll's Lancashire husband prove to be her best one? Is it important that he, too, is a "social deviant"? What is so different about Moll's relationship with this man?

12. Moll is "converted" while in Newgate prison. Why? Does anything strike you as odd about her conversion and "rehabilitation"? Why does her conversion occur? Remember she claims she became addicted to theft, but not too that she sees theft in practical, economic terms. That is, she recognizes that prosperity attaches to what one is good at. How, then, might the capitalist work ethic be seen to come into conflict with the moral and social expectations of society? Is society hypocritical in this demands upon its members?

13. According to what we usually regard as one of the stereotypical assumptions of middle-class morality generally, the poor are poor because they are morally inferior, while the rich ar rich because they are morally superior. That is, wealth (and financial security) is directly related to virtue. How does this idea seem to square with Moll Flanders? Is it possible to move from poverty ("evil," "inferiority," "degeneracy") to wealth ("good," "superiority," "virtue")? If so, how? Consider again the matter of the capitalist work ethic. Is "external" condition (or circumstance) a reliable indicator of internal (spiritual or psychological) condition?

14. Is Moll naturally degenerate – or criminal – or is hers a learned behavior? If Moll is in fact a criminal, is she entirely and exclusively to blame for her criminality, or should we place part (or all) of the blame elsewhere? This is partly a question about the relative roles of heredity and environment in human development.

15. Can you think of any other examples of criminals who we find attractive, even though they are clearly law-breakers?

16. Why does Defoe dispose of Moll's children so conveniently?

17. After Moll and her Lancashire husband leave Newgate they become prosperous planters and appear to the world to have "made it." Is this as it should be? Are they now behaving responsibly and therefore receiving rewards appropriate to such responsible behavior? Has the society that first ostracized and punished them behaved responsibly?

18. Do you think Moll Flanders might have offended any of its contemporary readers? If so, what might have been offensive? Do you think Defoe intended to offend?

19. On the 1683 date: if Moll is "nearly seventy" in 1683 (as we learn near the book's end)), then her life covers approximately 1613-1683. Remember that this period includes two civil wars, the beheading of Charles I, the Cromwellian Commonwealth, and the restoration of Charles II to the English throne. Why do these very important events not figure in the novel? Why does Defoe avoid dealing with the English political situation?

20. Why is the novel written as a continuous first-person narrative, without even any chapter breaks?
– What is the advantage of having the author (Defoe) withdraw his own narrative "voice" and letting his protagonist tell her own story more or less "in her own words"?

21. Once you have finished the novel, think about your reactions to various parts of it. Did you react to the last third or so (Moll's imprisonment and reformation) in the same way you did to the earlier parts? If not, try to figure out why you reacted differently. What causes the change? Do you think Defoe might have intended something of this sort?

Engraved portrait of Defoe

Another portrait of Defoe

Some Internet Resources

Daniel Defoe page, from Luminarium, with links to on-line texts of Defoe's works and other resources.

A brief biography and bibliography of Defoe.

The first work that Defoe published was called Essay on Projects. It is remarkable for its forward-thinking approach to issues of his times. One section, which addresses the education of women, is in fact an extraordinarily insightful discussion of the issue. The Essay on Projects is directly relevant to Moll Flanders, but it is also worth reading on its own. You can find an on-line copy of the text at this link.

Stephen C. Behrendt, 7/25/11