Moll Flanders and the Gatekeeping of Female Liberation.
Throughout the literary production of the eighteenth century, one can find a very constricted representation of female characters which are shaped as either one of two: "women as angels and women as whores,... women as the embodiment of moral value and women as the source of moral disorder" (Jones 57). However, these categories, explains Vivien Jones in her book Women in the eighteenth Century: Constructions of Femininity, are "actually ideologically inseparable" (57). This is because femininity and its different extremes exist as prouduct contained within masculine parameters as Margarita Pisano suggests, "la feminidad no es un espacio aparte con posibilidades de igualdad o de autogestión, es una construcción simbólica, valórica, diseñada por la masculinidad” (28). For this reason, texts of the period that may appear transgressive at first glance due to a female character choosing to embrace one of these two extremes are not really portraying liberation from the boundaries established by patriarchal structures but are actually promoting the compliance to them. This is the case of Moll Flanders (1722) by Daniel Defoe in which he presents a repented female narrator that recalls the mistakes she made in her past that led her to a path of crime and, ultimately, repentance and happiness. In this way, I argue that the subversive aspect of the novel acts more as a resource for Defoe to emphasize his moralistic views regarding the role of women.
In Moll Flanders, Defoe touches on moral issues that involve men and women equally, making it sound subversive from a female narrator, such as when she comments on her having to marry her lover's brother, "so certainly does interest banish all manner of affection, and so naturally do men give up honour and justice, humanity, and even Christianity, to secure themselves" (Defoe 88). Although it is evident that men are being judged under the same moralistic parameters, the novel centers on mantaining the status quo for women as the protagonist and narrator is Moll. In that way, Defoe lays out the duty of marriage and the birth of children —as the amount of times she married and had children shows. This view Defoe portrays on the role of women is also laid clear in his text Considerations upon Street-Walkers with A Proposal for lessening the present Number of them, where he "defends marriage by defining ‘the great Use of Women in a Community’ as being to ‘supply it with Members that may be serviceable’, and makes the startlingly utilitarian suggestion that women over child-bearing age should not be allowed to marry since that ‘loses to the World the Produce of one Man’ (Jones 58). In this way, the novel can be contradictory and complex because of what it shows and what it is trying to convey; thus, the first-person narrator and the sympathy it produces "complicates any simple moral conclusion and disrupts his functional objectification of women" (Jones 60). This contradiction is, then, a result of Defoe's didactic approach to writing, doing it from a Christian point of view in which forgiveness can always be attained through repenting. Moll's character is constructed in a manner that makes it open to interpretation, since it is necessary for the reader to go through the same process and realize on its own account the importance of repentance. It can be said that Defoe's writing is exemplary of how one can reach "the masses", as he probably knew the growing popularity of criminal biographies at the time.
Finally, just as Moll enters a world of crime and is actually out of the limits that constrain women, that is, she is not married nor a prostitute, she is imprisoned and shows herself in a mindset that does not trap her in the limits of femininity. While being imprisoned, she was free of any expectations that may have restrained her in the past as she expresses,
“a certain strange Lethargy of Soul possess’d me, I had no Trouble, no Apprehensions, no Sorrow about me, the first Surprize was gone; I was, I may well say, I know not how; my Senses, my Reason, nay, my Conscience were all a-sleep; my Course of Life for forty Years had been a horrid Complication of Wickedness; Whoredom, Adultery, Incest, Lying,Theft ... and now I was ingulph’d in the misery of Punishment, and had an infamous Death just at the Door, and yet I had no Sense of my Condition, no Thought of Heaven or Hell at least" (Defoe 280)
"I was cover’d with Shame and Tears for things past, and yet had at the same time a secret surprizing Joy at the Prospect of being a true Penitent, and obtaining the Comfort of a Penitent, I mean the hope of being forgiven; and so swift did Thoughts circulate, and so high did the impressions they had made upon me run, that I thought I cou’d freely have gone out that Minute to Execution, without any uneasiness at all, casting my Soul entirely into the Arms of infinite Mercy as a Penitent..." (Defoe 289).
However, as it should be expected, having into account Defoe's interests, Moll has an encounter with one of her past lovers and chooses to repent in order to be with him. After not having any burdens on her as she knew her death was near, she feels the weight of her sins once again when she knows she would marry again and would have to go back to society and comply to the norms. Therefore, she proudly becomes a penitent,
Moll Flanders is a complex novel precisely because of this openness of interpretation that Defoe plays with and can be read as disruptive to a certain point. However, in the end, a female character recognizing its difficulties and differences in comparison to men is hardly empowering when the ending of the novel presents a married Moll who acknowledges that her past was sinful so she happily repented. A female character acting independently outside the boundaries of what is permitted (that is, being a thief and not married) is hardly liberating when the author makes her comply in the end by her own accord, portraying a pseudo freedom that does not break any boundaries whatsoever. This shows how those that are in power control the narratives. and how they are only interested in maintaining the order.
In the end, not only does she embraces femininity but also Christianity, showing the power structures of the time.
Works cited:
Defoe, Daniel, and Paul A. Scanlon. Moll Flanders. Broadview Press, 2005.
Jones, Vivien. Women in the Eighteenth Century: Constructions of Femininity. Routledge, 2016.
Pisano, Margarita.El triunfo de la masculinidad 2004
Richetti, John. The Life of Daniel Defoe: a Critical Biography. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
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"Se uma jovem e bela, de boa origem, educada, espirituosa, de bom senso, boas maneiras, modesta, ainda que fosse ao máximo, não vale nada, se não tiver dinheiro. Se faltar tudo, menos dinheiro, ela se torna desejável. Os homens jogam com cartas marcadas."
DEFOE, D. Moll Flanders. Tradução de Antônio Alves Cury. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1981. p. 29.
Day9 so alex kingston brought me to doctor who en then i was hooked i realy love her in these time period dresses they look way to good on her. Titel: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders Theme:mythology Info: 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 (where of once to her own brother wich she did not know at the time), 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. This is the short version but there is so much more to this story. #inktober #inktober2017 #alexkingston #mythology #instagram #doctorwho #mollflanders #fanart #fangirl #illustration #info #tumblr #drawing
1996's MOLL FLANDERS - FEBRUARY 24, 2026 - YOU TUBE VIDEO: MOVIE TRAILER
After her thief mother's execution, Moll (Robin Wright) grows up in a nunnery until an abusive priest prompts her teenage rebellion. She flees to London's streets and, facing hardship, takes work as a prostitute for Mrs. Allworthy (Stockard Channing), meeting Hibble (Morgan Freeman).
Director: Pen Densham.
Based on the novel by Daniel Defoe.
Screenplay by Pen Densham.
Producers: Morgan O'Sullivan, Pen Densham, Richard B. Lewis and John Watson.
Just finished re- reading this book and FUCK what I said back in 2019.
I love Moll Flanders; she is brave for a woman who lives in the 1700's, who finds her way out of poverty.
Moll rejects the possibility of starvation, of dying from hunger and from poverty; she sleeps with men, marries other men thinking they would help and make her safe.
The way Defoe makes you feel bad for a prostitute and a thief is brilliant for me. With fear as her only motive, Moll continually calculates her money and thinking of her next game; she gives up on love as it did her no good:
“I had been tricked once by that Cheat called love, but the Game was over...”.
Historically, the book shows the sufferings and the position of women in the 18th- century- England; if they had no man, they are doomed.
Thus, the moral declination of Moll Flanders, and her survival tactics.
Having a different opinion now than the one I had when I was younger makes me question my own character developed LOL
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. "Ah, insanoğlu için ne büyük bir saadet ki, dedim kendi kendime, birbirlerinin içini okuyamıyorlar!" syf.217 . "insan doğasındaki en büyük aptallık ise, en değerli şey dahi olsa bu dünyadaki herhangi bir şeye önem vermek olarak görünüyordu." syf.328 . "Kendi özel koşullarının yol göstereceği şekilde, kendi hayatını da gözden geçirmesi aklı başında her okuyucu için bir görev olmalıdır. Hiç şüphe yok ki her insan şu veya bu zamanda bu anlamda bir şeyler hissedebilir, söz konusu şeylere ilişkin burada okuduklarından daha açık bir bakış açısı edinebilir ve kendi karanlık yönlerinin farkına varabilir." syf.329 . "Asil ruhlar, üzüntülerinin ağırlığı altında ezildiklerinde en büyük ıstırapları çekerler, yılgınlığa kapılıp kendilerini bırakmaya en meyilli olanlar da onlardır." syf.353 Bir kadının sokağın çamurundan kurtulmaya çalışma hikâyesi. Bu kurtuluşta sık sık yuvarlansa da, varolabilmek için koca bulmaya çalışıp yoldan çıksa da, hırsızlıklara sarılsa da, düşmeyeyim diye dağcının ipine sımsıkı sarılması gibi vazgeçmiyor. Klasik denilince adı neredeyse hiç anılmayan iş bu kitap belki de -ya da bana göre- Defoe'nun başyapıtı sayılabilir. #danieldefoe #mollflanders #çeviri #nazanarıbaşerbil #iletişimyayınları #iletişimklasikleri #kitap #neokuyorum #okumakiptiladır #okumahalleri #roman https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIzLq5tT--/?utm_medium=tumblr
. "Ah, insanoğlu için ne büyük bir saadet ki, dedim kendi kendime, birbirlerinin içini okuyamıyorlar!" syf.217 . "insan doğasındaki en büyük aptallık ise, en değerli şey dahi olsa bu dünyadaki herhangi bir şeye önem vermek olarak görünüyordu." syf.328 . "Kendi özel koşullarının yol göstereceği şekilde, kendi hayatını da gözden geçirmesi aklı başında her okuyucu için bir görev olmalıdır. Hiç şüphe yok ki her insan şu veya bu zamanda bu anlamda bir şeyler hissedebilir, söz konusu şeylere ilişkin burada okuduklarından daha açık bir bakış açısı edinebilir ve kendi karanlık yönlerinin farkına varabilir." syf.329 . "Asil ruhlar, üzüntülerinin ağırlığı altında ezildiklerinde en büyük ıstırapları çekerler, yılgınlığa kapılıp kendilerini bırakmaya en meyilli olanlar da onlardır." syf.353 #danieldefoe #mollflanders #çeviri #nazanarıbaşerbil #iletişimyayınları #iletişimklasikleri #kitap #neokuyorum #okumakiptiladır #okumahalleri #roman https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIzLq5tT--/?utm_medium=tumblr
«But it is never too late to be wise.» (from Robinson Crusoe) ~ «I saw the Cloud, though I did not foresee the Storm.» (from Moll Flanders) ~ #HappyBirthday to #DanielDefoe (Daniel Foe, 1660-1731), English writer, journalist, satirist, pamphleteer, trader, and spy. Defoe is noted for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and is among the founders of the English novel. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), considered by some as the first English novel, which is second only to the Bible in its number of translations. Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology, and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism. As he wrote many political tracts and often was in trouble with the authorities, including prison time. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted with him. ~ Best-known works: • Robinson Crusoe (1719, novel) • Memoirs of a Cavalier (1720, novel) • Captain Singleton (1720, novel) • Moll Flanders (1722, novel) • A Journal of the Plague Year (1722, novel) • Colonel Jack (1722, novel) • Roxana, The Fortunate Mistress (1724, novel) ~ «I let him know his name should be Friday, which was the day I saved his life; I called him so for the memory of the time. I likewise taught him to say Master; and then let him know that was to be my name; I likewise taught him to say Yes and No and to know the meaning of them.» (from Robinson Crusoe) ~ #DanielFoe #RobinsonCrusoe #MollFlanders #AJournalOfThePlagueYear #Roxana #CaptainSingleton #ColonelJack #MemoirsOfACavalier #LifeAndAdventuresOfRobinsonCrusoe #RoxanaTheFortunateMistress #novel #englishnovel #book #books #reading #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklove #bookworm #instabook #literature #booklion #booktube #bookworm #epic #igreads #bookclub https://www.instagram.com/p/BnqZwO6lmKK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=uv6iepf85g3v
