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| Plot Summary of Moll Flanders |
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"One of the greatest books ever written, and one of the most misunderstood. On the surface, it's a story about one woman's questionable struggle for survival in a brutal world--what people usually focus on. But beneath the surface, it's an indictment against civilizing living, an indictment against humanity's denouncement of agrarianism in favor of industrialization, in favor of capitalism. Would Moll Flanders have to prostitute herself for money to eat, have to steal, if fruit-bearing trees grew all around her in the civilized jungle instead of buildings? And yet she is a paradoxical product of that civilized nightmare, and can no more escape her civilized roots than she can escape the planet: those roots must feed her, even while they are killing her."
Fran Upman, Resident Scholar
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"The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders is a tale that if Moll were alive today, she would probably be a guest on Jerry Springer. Moll's struggles include orphaned at an early age, made a servant, a mistress, prostitution, a thief, becoming a mother (but shows poor plotting by Dafoe, since some children seem to just disappear for the sake of story), dabbling with lesbianism, imprisoned and banished to the Americas, incest and a happy ending. Entertaining and enlightening, Moll Flanders is a funny romp through the life of a greedy survivor during 17th century England. "
Kathleen, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Moll Flanders |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 18th century
- 17th century
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- playing footsy while inconveniently married
Political/social activism
Yes
Plotlet:
- general liberal/left wing activism
- women fighting for rights
- fighting discrim. (other than racial/gender)
Poverty, surviving
Yes
Kind of living:
- general poverty story
- making "Ends Meat" by prostitution
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book)
Crime & Police story
Yes
Story of
- conman stealing/fraud
- criminal becomes sensitive
Kind of sex:
- incest
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Loss of...
- parents
Taboo sex story?
Yes
Love problems?
- lesbianism!!!!
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
- prostitute
Age:
- 20's-30's
- long lived adults
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Water?
Yes
City?
Yes
City:
- dangerous
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- prison
- sewers/subways
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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