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Daniel Defoe (1659/1661– April 24, 1731) was an English writer, journalist and spy, who gained enduring fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest practitioners of the novel and helped popularize the genre in Britain. In some texts he is even referred to as one of the founders, if not the founder, of the English novel. A prolific and versatile writer, he wrote over five hundred books, pamphlets, and journals on various topics (including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural). He was also a pioneer of economic journalism.
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders is a novel by Daniel Defoe. Defoe's Whig views are nevertheless evident in the story of Moll. The full title of the novel tells part of its story: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, who was born in Newgate, and during a life of continued variety for sixty years, besides her childhood, was twelve year a whore, five times a wife, twelve year a thief, eight year a transported felon in Virginia, at last grew rich, lived honest and died a penitent, written from her own memorandums. Like many early novels, it is told in the first person as a narrative, and is presented as a truthful account, since at that time the idea of a long, realistic work of fiction was still new. It is not only an extremely entertaining and action-packed story, but also gives a valuable and lively picture of 17th century society.
Although Moll is an exceptional character because of her ingenuity and extraordinary life, the problems that Moll faces are firmly rooted in her society. The story is believed by some to be a tale of capitalism due to the numerous hints to money, contracts, and other currency-related items: everything, including people, has a monetary value. This may give the reader a feeling of Moll's calculating personality, but capitalism was not a familiar concept until much later, so Moll Flanders...