Daniel
Defoe was born into a middle class family in London, England in
1660. He was unable to attend Oxford or Cambridge due to his
father's dissenter religious views and went, instead, to an academy run
by the Rev. Charles Martin. Though not as prestigious an
institution as the major universities, the academy offered an excellent
education to this young man originally destined to be a Presbyterian
minister. Defoe decided that he preferred a career in business to
that of one in the church and went through periods of success and
bankruptcy for the remainder of his life. His writing career
began with the penning of political and religious pamphlets, poems, and
articles, some of which landed him stays in Newgate Prison. For nearly
ten years (1704-1713) he wrote and produced the periodical The
Review almost single-handedly. It was in later life he
embarked on writing novels. Robinson Crusoe was published
in 1719, Moll Flanders in 1722, and his last work of fiction, Roxana
in 1724. He died on April 24, 1731 while purportedly hiding from
his creditors in London. His bouts of poverty furnished a
theme in many of his books. Defoe is called by some scholars the
father of the English novel.
Main Characters
Moll
Flanders - the narrator and heroine of the book .
Her escapades to procure wealth and her adventures as her
circumstances change provide the plot of the novel. Jemy - Moll's fourth husband, her true love, who is
as much a con artist as Moll. Moll's Brother/Husband -
Moll's third husband who takes her to live in Virginia and, after
several years of marriage, is revealed to be her half brother. Robin - Moll's first husband who dies after only five
years of marriage. The Draper - Moll's second husband who escapes prison and
flees to France after being arrested for bad debts. The Bank Clerk - Moll's fifth husband who dies from
grief over the loss of his money. The Governess - the pawnbroker who encourages Moll in
her life of thievery.
Plot
Moll tells her life story when she is in
her seventies. From her birth in Newgate Prison she is essentially
alone in the world and must make her way by her wits and her beauty. Fate
manages to kill, destroy, or to eliminate all of Moll's husbands, lovers,
caregivers, and friends by means such as incest, chicanery, or imprisonment.
Over all adversity Moll manages to triumph until , at the end of her life,
Moll is living in comfort in London with her true love, Jemy. Both lament
their former sins and wild ways and "spend the remainder of our years
in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived."
Setting
The novel takes place in the
early 1700's. Moll's adventures take her to London, to the
American colonies, and to various places in England.
Themes
» money
» sexuality
» role of women
» morality
» search for self
» crime
» Ambition
» social order
This guide will help you find
information for your research assignment in the library, in electronic databases,
and on the internet. For students at Lone Star College-Kingwood, there may also be materials
on reserve at the Circulation Desk. Ask a librarian for assistance.
LITERARY RESEARCH GUIDE
As
you begin, narrow your topic to a size that you can manage. Consider keywords
that will help you find the information you need. These can be names of people,
literary works, events, or broader identifying terms. Use these keywords
for locating information in the library
catalog, electronic databases,
and on the internet.
Sample Keywords: Daniel
Defoe; Moll Flanders; names of specific characters; incest; criminal
behavior; capitalism; symbolism; women in 18th century England
Books offer helpful information about time periods, authors and the literary works. Use them to help begin your review of literature on Moll Flanders.
Apply online for a library card. Use your card to 1) Place a Hold on a book and have it sent to the library closest to you 2) Access journal and reference databases from home, and 3) Access Online Book Database (NetLibrary).
Online books (database paid for by our libraries) are available at NetLibrary. Use your library card to log in. Create a free account to save favorite titles or your own notes on the books you read.
Suggested Reference Books
Dictionary of Literary
Biography - PN41 .D52, Vol. 39,95,101 - Thorough overview of Defoe's
life and works.
Novels for Students
- PN3385 .N68, Vol. 13 - Includes overviews on characters, themes, historical
context and criticism.
Literature Criticism
from 1400 to 1800 - PN86.L53, Vol.1, 42 - excerpts from literary criticisms
of the works of Daniel Defoe.
Chronology of Women's
History - HQ1121.047 - information on the status of women, their
daily lives, and important personages by time period
The
London Encyclopedia
- DA679.L78
- Articles on the
people, places, and events in London history.
Books of Literary Criticism
and Background Information
Daniel Defoe:
Master of Fictions:His Life and
Ideas - PR3406.N68
Moll Flanders: The Making of a Criminal
Mind - PR3404.M653.B3
The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe
- PR851.W32
Her Bread
to Earn: Women, Money, and Society from Defoe to Austen - PR858.W6.S34
Imagining the Penitentiary: Fiction and the
Architecture of Mind in Eighteenth Century England - PR858.P7.B4
Online
books are available at NetLibrary.
Use your library card barcode number to log in from any computer with internet
access.
JOURNAL ARTICLES (ONLINE ACCESS)
Librarian Talk about Finding Journal and Newspaper Articles!
Electronic databases are purchased by the libraries for your research use. Use them to find articles in newspapers and journals, letters, reference books, illustrations, photographs and more. Home access to article databases is available with your updated library card barcode. If you need assistance finding an article contact the Reference Librarians and they will see that you get the article. They will need full bibliographic information - and your name and address. Send your phone number as well, so they can contact you if necessary.
Use your library card to login to these online journal databases.
JSTOR Print or save full-text articles from high quality scholarly journals, generally from older issues. Use the Advanced Search page for the most productive searches.
Project Muse This database contains only scholarly, full-text articles from selected journals, including more recent issues. Use the Advanced Search page for the most effective searches.
MLA
International Bibliography | The most comprehensive index to
literary criticism. Most articles are not available online. You
will have to obtain them from the library or through interlibrary loan.
Literature Resource
Center | Full text articles
from reference books and Twayne's Masterworks books. It also has links to scholarly journal
articles and appropriate Internet sites.
Academic Search Complete | Collection of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles,
many of which are online. Some of the articles indexed in MLA International
Bibliography may be found online in this database. Be sure to
run a search on both under the term, Moll Flanders. Limit to "Peer Reviewed"
for scholarly journals.
Proquest
| Collection of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles. Limit
to "Peer Reviewed" for scholarly journals.
INTERNET SITES
Librarian Talk about the Internet!
The internet can be a wonderful source of original documents. Browse the sites we have suggested below. Remember, you do want to find reputable sites. Look at:
Accuracy - The information should be researched and show proof of that research.
Source - Look at the domain: .edu .gov .org .net are valid research sources. Your company's website is also a valuable resource.
Authority - What are the author's credentials? (Don't quote from another college freshman's paper.)
Coverage - Does the page have the information you need for your research?
Objectivity - If a work is biased, use it - just make sure your professor knows YOU know. Offer both sides of issues, where applicable.
UNACCEPTABLE SOURCE SAMPLE http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh/bx/bx04b.html - This appears to be part of a book (the subject is not this novel but it is a good example) however there is nothing we can see that tells you title, author, dates, publisher or any of the other needed information.
The Internet
can be a valuable resource for your paper. Be aware that all web
pages are not suitable for scholarly research. Consider the
accuracy of the information, the source of the information, the
credentials of the author, and the relevance of the information to your
research. If you are in doubt, ask your instructor.
Suggested
Web Sites
Moll Flanders - A searchable,
online copy of the novel.
Moll's Brother/Husband -
Moll's third husband who takes her to live in Virginia and, after
several years of marriage, is revealed to be her half brother.
Moll tells her life story when she is in
her seventies. From her birth in Newgate Prison she is essentially
alone in the world and must make her way by her wits and her beauty. Fate
manages to kill, destroy, or to eliminate all of Moll's husbands, lovers,
caregivers, and friends by means such as incest, chicanery, or imprisonment.
Over all adversity Moll manages to triumph until , at the end of her life,
Moll is living in comfort in London with her true love, Jemy. Both lament
their former sins and wild ways and "spend the remainder of our years
in sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived." 
