Written by Defoe in 1722 under a pseudonym so his readers would think it an actual journal of the ribald fortunes and misfortunes of a woman in eighteenth-century London, the book remains a picaresque novel of astonishing vitality. From her birth in Newgate Prison to her ascent to a position of wealth and stature, Moll Flanders demonstrates both a mercantile spirit and an indomitable will. This vivid saga of an irresistible and notorious heroine—her high misdemeanors and delinquencies, her varied careers as a prostitute, a charming and faithful wife, a thief, and a convict—endures today as one of the liveliest, most candid records of a woman's progress through the hypocritical labyrinth of society ever recorded. You can read it for free online at Read Print.
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Did you know? It is also called The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders.
Have you read it? Have you seen the 1996 film starring Robin Wright Penn?
