"[One of the] few English novels which we can call indisputably great.” Virginia Woolf
Description
Possibly the first novel in the English language, Moll Flanders is the fictional autobiography of a delightfully scandalous young female rogue. Born in Newgate Prison in seventeenth-century England, Moll is predestined to poverty and lawlessness, yet relentlessly driven to overcome her fate. Donning whatever mask suits her best in the moment, she appraises theft, prostitution, and bigamy only in terms of their profit potential, her indomitable will undaunted by her bad luck. Eventually, however, a moral sense begins to intrude.
Defoe creates a narrative that brilliantly commentates on morality and self-reliance within the period in which it is set.
Praise
"[One of the] few English novels which we can call indisputably great.” Virginia Woolf
“A masterpiece of characterization.” E. M. Forster
“Defoe’s excellence is to make me forget my specific class, character, and circumstances, and to raise me while I read him into the universal man.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Defoe’s characters…[seem] as real as if we saw them in a mirror that was so clear it was invisible.” Kenneth Rexroth
Details
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Release Day | Nov 30, 1998 |
| Release Date | December 1, 1998 |
| Release Date Machine | 912470400 |
| Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
| Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
| Categories | Literature & Fiction, Classics, Classics, Evergreen Classics, Evergreen Classics, Classics, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult |
Author Bio
Daniel Defoe (1660–1731), born in London as Daniel Foe, was a novelist, pamphleteer, journalist, and political spy. He is celebrated for his frank and dramatic realism in fiction and the accuracy, vigor, and lucidity of his journalism. Considered the father of the English novel, he was also the first author of ghost stories in English literature. He is best known for his novels Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders.
Narrator Bio
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.
Overview
Possibly the first novel in the English language, Moll Flanders is the fictional autobiography of a delightfully scandalous young female rogue. Born in Newgate Prison in seventeenth-century England, Moll is predestined to poverty and lawlessness, yet relentlessly driven to overcome her fate. Donning whatever mask suits her best in the moment, she appraises theft, prostitution, and bigamy only in terms of their profit potential, her indomitable will undaunted by her bad luck. Eventually, however, a moral sense begins to intrude.
Defoe creates a narrative that brilliantly commentates on morality and self-reliance within the period in which it is set.
Reviews
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