Moll Flanders has claims to being the first English novel. It is the tale of 'the Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and died a Penitent.' Racy, ironic, rich in realistic sociological detail, it is also a romance, with Moll in her quest for a familial paradise its charmed heroine.
| INTRODUCTION |
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vii | (16) |
| NOTE ON THE TEXT |
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xxiii | (7) |
| SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY |
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xxx | (3) |
| A CHRONOLOGY OF DANIEL DEFOE |
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xxxiii | |
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| Preface |
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1 | (6) |
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THE FORTUNES AND MISFORTUNES OF MOLL FLANDERS |
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7 | (338) |
| EXPLANATORY NOTES |
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345 | |