Excerpt

Excerpt from The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, by Daniel Defoe

It is true that the original of this story is put into new words, and
the style of the famous lady we here speak of is a little altered;
particularly she is made to tell her own tale in modester words that
she told it at first, the copy which came first to hand having been
written in language more like one still in Newgate than one grown
penitent and humble, as she afterwards pretends to be.

The pen employed in finishing her story, and making it what you now see
it to be, has had no little difficulty to put it into a dress fit to be
seen, and to make it speak language fit to be read. When a woman
debauched from her youth, nay, even being the offspring of debauchery
and vice, comes to give an account of all her vicious practices, and
even to descend to the particular occasions and circumstances by which
she ran through in threescore years, an author must be hard put to it
wrap it up so clean as not to give room, especially for vicious
readers, to turn it to his disadvantage.

All possible care, however, has been taken to give no lewd ideas, no
immodest turns in the new dressing up of this story; no, not to the
worst parts of her expressions. To this purpose some of the vicious
part of her life, which could not be modestly told, is quite left out,
and several other parts are very much shortened. What is left ’tis
hoped will not offend the chastest reader or the modest hearer; and as
the best use is made even of the worst story, the moral ’tis hoped will
keep the reader serious, even where the story might incline him to be
otherwise. To give the history of a wicked life repented of,
necessarily requires that the wicked part should be make as wicked as
the real history of it will bear, to illustrate and give a beauty to
the penitent part, which is certainly the best and brightest, if
related with equal spirit and life.

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

This passage serves as a preface or authorial disclaimer to Moll Flanders (1722), one of Daniel Defoe’s most famous novels. Written in the form of a pseudo-autobiography, the novel purports to be the true confession of a woman—Moll Flanders—who lived a life of crime, prostitution, bigamy, and theft before ultimately repenting. The excerpt functions as a meta-commentary on the act of writing Moll’s story, addressing concerns about morality, censorship, and the challenges of presenting a "wicked" life in a way that is both engaging and morally instructive.

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Context of the Source

• Author & Genre: Daniel Defoe (1660–1731) was a pioneer of the English novel, known for works like Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders. The novel is part of the picaresque tradition—a genre featuring a roguish protagonist who moves through various social strata, often through deceit or crime.
• Historical Context: The early 18th century was a time of moral anxiety in England, with growing concerns about vice, poverty, and the corruption of urban life. Criminal biographies (like Moll Flanders) were popular, but they risked being seen as titillating rather than instructive.
• Narrative Frame: The novel is presented as an edited confession, with Defoe (or a fictional editor) claiming to have "cleaned up" Moll’s original, more vulgar account. This device allows Defoe to distance himself from the immoral content while still delivering a gripping story.

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Key Themes in the Excerpt

1. The Problem of Representing Vice

   • The narrator (Defoe or his editorial persona) acknowledges that Moll’s life is so depraved that simply recording it risks glorifying sin or corrupting readers.
   • There is a tension between realism (showing Moll’s crimes truthfully) and moral responsibility (ensuring the text doesn’t encourage vice).

2. Censorship & Editorial Control

   • The passage emphasizes that the story has been sanitized—some parts omitted, others "modestly" rewritten—to avoid offending "the chastest reader."
   • This reflects 18th-century moral standards, where explicit content (especially about female sexuality and crime) was considered dangerous.

3. The Purpose of the Story: Moral Instruction

   • The narrator insists that the ultimate goal is to show repentance and redemption. The "wicked part" must be vivid enough to make the penitent part (Moll’s eventual reform) more powerful.
   • This aligns with the Christian doctrine of redemption: sin must be shown in all its ugliness to make grace meaningful.

4. The Unreliable Narrator & Authenticity

   • The claim that Moll’s original account was too vulgar (written "in language more like one still in Newgate [prison]") suggests that her voice has been mediated.
   • This raises questions: How much of Moll’s story is true? How much is shaped by the editor? Defoe plays with the idea of authenticity in confession.

5. The Danger of Misinterpretation

   • The narrator worries that "vicious readers" might misuse the story—perhaps taking Moll’s crimes as instruction rather than warning.
   • This reflects a broader anxiety about the power of fiction to corrupt, a common concern in Defoe’s time.

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Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

1. Metafiction (Self-Referential Writing)

   • The passage breaks the fourth wall, directly addressing the reader about the process of writing the book.
   • Phrases like "the pen employed in finishing her story" and "wrap it up so clean" draw attention to the artifice of the narrative.

2. Irony & Ambiguity

   • The narrator claims to have made Moll’s story modest, yet the novel is full of scandalous details (adultery, theft, prison escapes).
   • The line "the best use is made even of the worst story" is ironic—Defoe profits from vice while pretending to condemn it.

3. Apologia (Defensive Justification)

   • The entire excerpt is an apology (in the classical sense)—a defense of the work’s morality.
   • The narrator anticipates criticism and preemptively argues that the book is morally justified because it leads to repentance.

4. Contrast Between "Wicked" and "Penitent"

   • The passage sets up a binary: the depraved past vs. the redeemed present.
   • The phrase "give a beauty to the penitent part" suggests that sin is necessary to make virtue shine.

5. Appeal to the Reader’s Morality

   • The narrator flatters the reader ("the chastest reader") while warning against misreading ("vicious readers").
   • This is a rhetorical strategy to make the audience feel complicit in the book’s moral purpose.

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Significance of the Passage

1. Defoe’s Narrative Strategy

   • By framing the story as an edited confession, Defoe avoids full responsibility for Moll’s sins while still delivering a sensational tale.
   • This device was common in criminal biographies of the time, where authors claimed to be merely transcribing true accounts.

2. The Rise of the Novel

   • Moll Flanders is an early example of the realistic novel, blending fact and fiction.
   • The preface highlights the tension between entertainment and morality that would define the novel’s evolution.

3. Gender & Morality

   • Moll is a female criminal, and her story challenges 18th-century gender norms.
   • The need to "clean up" her language reflects societal discomfort with women who transgress moral boundaries.

4. The Economics of Sin & Redemption

   • The novel sells vice as a commodity, but the preface justifies it as a moral lesson.
   • This duality—exploiting sin while condemning it—is central to the book’s appeal.

5. The Reader’s Role

   • The passage implicates the reader, suggesting that how they interpret the story will determine its moral effect.
   • This interactive approach was innovative for its time, making the reader an active participant in the text’s meaning.

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Close Reading of Key Lines

1. "the style of the famous lady we here speak of is a little altered; particularly she is made to tell her own tale in modester words"

   • Implication: Moll’s original voice was too crude for polite society.
   • Effect: Creates a distance between Moll and the reader, making her seem more like a specimen than a relatable figure.

2. "a woman debauched from her youth, nay, even being the offspring of debauchery and vice"

   • Significance: Moll is born into sin (her mother was a convict), suggesting that her crimes are partly predetermined.
   • Theological Undertone: Raises questions about free will vs. fate in her moral downfall.

3. "an author must be hard put to it wrap it up so clean as not to give room, especially for vicious readers, to turn it to his disadvantage"

   • Fear of Misreading: The narrator worries that some readers will enjoy the sin more than the lesson.
   • Defoe’s Anxiety: Reflects real concerns about censorship and public morality in 18th-century England.

4. "the moral ’tis hoped will keep the reader serious, even where the story might incline him to be otherwise"

   • Double Meaning: The "story" (Moll’s crimes) is titillating, but the "moral" (her repentance) is supposed to counteract that pleasure.
   • Psychological Insight: Defoe understands that readers are drawn to vice, so he must balance sensation with morality.

5. "to give the history of a wicked life repented of, necessarily requires that the wicked part should be make as wicked as the real history of it will bear"

   • Justification for Detail: The more shocking the sins, the more powerful the redemption.
   • Dramatic Effect: This explains why the novel lingers on Moll’s crimes—they are necessary for the emotional impact of her repentance.

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Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is not just a preface—it is a manifesto on how to write about immorality. Defoe grapples with:

• The ethics of storytelling (How much vice can you show before it becomes pornographic?)
• The power of confession (Can a sinner’s story be redemptive for the reader?)
• The role of the author (Is Defoe a moral guide or just a sensationalist?)

Ultimately, the passage sets up the central paradox of Moll Flanders:

• The novel condemns sin but relishes describing it.
• It pretends to be a moral lesson but functions as entertainment.
• Moll is both a villain and a victim, making her one of literature’s most complex female characters.

By framing the story this way, Defoe ensures that readers will be hooked—not just by Moll’s crimes, but by the question of whether her repentance is genuine. The preface, then, is both a shield and a tease, preparing the audience for a story that is as morally ambiguous as it is gripping.

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Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s assertion that Moll’s original account was written “in language more like one still in Newgate than one grown penitent and humble” primarily serves to:

A. establish Moll’s lack of education as the root cause of her moral failings.
B. underscore the authenticity of Moll’s confession by contrasting her past and present voices.
C. justify the editor’s decision to excise all criminal details to avoid corrupting the reader.
D. imply that Moll’s repentance is performative, as her language remains inherently corrupt.
E. create a rhetorical buffer that allows the text to exploit prurient interest while disavowing responsibility for it.

Question 2

The phrase “the best use is made even of the worst story” is most effectively interpreted as an example of:

A. moral relativism, suggesting that vice can be recontextualized as virtue through narrative framing.
B. utilitarian ethics, where the ends (moral instruction) justify the means (graphic depiction of sin).
C. paradoxical rhetoric, in which the text simultaneously condemns and capitalizes on transgression.
D. authorial humility, acknowledging the limitations of transforming a sordid life into edifying literature.
E. reader-response theory, delegating the story’s moral value to the interpretive choices of the audience.

Question 3

The narrator’s repeated emphasis on the “vicious reader” who might “turn [the story] to his disadvantage” primarily functions to:

A. absolve the author of culpability by shifting blame onto the audience’s moral weaknesses.
B. introduce a layer of dramatic irony, as the text’s own sensationalism undermines its professed moral goals.
C. establish a binary between chaste and corrupt readers, reinforcing the text’s didactic purpose.
D. signal the narrator’s awareness that the story’s appeal lies precisely in its transgressive content.
E. suggest that the act of reading itself is a morally hazardous endeavor requiring constant vigilance.

Question 4

The claim that “the penitent part [of Moll’s story] is certainly the best and brightest” is most undermined by the passage’s:

A. admission that some of Moll’s life “could not be modestly told” and was omitted.
B. insistence that the wicked portions must be “as wicked as the real history… will bear.”
C. assertion that the story has been altered to “give no lewd ideas” to the reader.
D. reliance on an editorial voice that mediates Moll’s confession, raising questions about its authenticity.
E. concern that “vicious readers” will misinterpret the moral lessons intended by the narrator.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the narrative strategy employed in the passage’s discussion of Moll’s “wicked life repented of”?

A. A confessional mode that prioritizes psychological realism over moral instruction.
B. A dialectical structure in which sin and redemption are codependent, each deriving meaning from the other.
C. An allegorical framework where Moll’s crimes symbolize societal corruption rather than personal failing.
D. A satirical approach that exposes the hypocrisy of moralizing literature while participating in it.
E. A didactic formula wherein the depiction of vice is strictly subordinated to the imperatives of religious doctrine.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The narrator’s distinction between Moll’s “Newgate” language and her “penitent” voice is not merely descriptive but strategic. By framing the original account as too vulgar for polite consumption, the text simultaneously dangles the promise of prurient detail (implying that the “real” story is far more scandalous) while disclaiming responsibility for its salacious elements. This creates a rhetorical buffer: the editor can exploit the audience’s curiosity about vice (and thus sell books) while positioning themselves as a moral gatekeeper. The passage’s anxiety about “vicious readers” further underscores this dynamic—it stokes interest in the very content it claims to suppress.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The passage never attributes Moll’s moral failings to a lack of education; her language is framed as a moral issue (“still in Newgate”), not an intellectual one.
• B: While the contrast between past and present voices could underscore authenticity, the narrator’s focus is on managing the reader’s perception of the text’s morality, not verifying Moll’s sincerity.
• C: The editor does not excise all criminal details—instead, they selectively retain and sanitize them to serve the moral narrative. The passage explicitly states that some wickedness is preserved to “illustrate and give a beauty to the penitent part.”
• D: The claim that Moll’s repentance is performative is textually unsupported; the narrator treats her penitence as genuine, even if their framing of it is strategic.

2) Correct answer: C

Why C is most correct: The phrase embodies a deliberate paradox: the text condemns vice (in its moralizing preface) while relying on vice (in its sensational content) to engage readers. This is paradoxical rhetoric because the narrator simultaneously:

1. Asserts that the story’s moral value justifies its prurient elements (“best use… worst story”).
2. Acknowledges that the “worst story” is inherently compelling, which is why it needs to be “dressed up” at all. The tension between exploitation and disavowal is central to the passage’s rhetorical strategy.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: Moral relativism would imply that vice becomes virtue through framing, but the narrator never claims sin is good—only that it can be repurposed for moral instruction.
• B: Utilitarian ethics focuses on outcomes, but the passage is more concerned with the narrative’s internal contradiction (profiting from vice while condemning it) than justifying means by ends.
• D: The tone is not humble; the narrator is defensive and calculating, not modest about their editorial choices.
• E: While reader response is relevant, the phrase itself is about the text’s inherent duality, not the audience’s interpretation.

3) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The narrator’s warnings about “vicious readers” are dramatically ironic because:

1. The text professes to guard against corruption by sanitizing Moll’s story.
2. Yet the very act of warning about prurient interest (e.g., “language more like one still in Newgate”) stokes that interest.
3. The passage’s anxiety about misreading highlights the instability of its own moral claims—if the story is so dangerous, why publish it at all? The irony lies in the gap between the text’s stated purpose and its inevitable effect.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: While the narrator does shift blame, the primary function is not absolution but creating a tension between the text’s moral posture and its commercial appeal.
• C: The binary between chaste and corrupt readers is superficial; the passage’s real concern is the slipperiness of moral instruction when vice is the subject.
• D: The narrator is explicitly aware of the story’s transgressive appeal (e.g., “give room… to turn it to his disadvantage”), but this is part of the irony, not a separate signal.
• E: The focus is not on reading as a generally hazardous act, but on the specific hypocrisy of a text that both warns against and trades on vice.

4) Correct answer: D

Why D is most correct: The claim that the “penitent part” is the “best and brightest” is undermined by the mediated nature of Moll’s confession. The narrator admits to:

1. Altering Moll’s voice (“made to tell her own tale in modester words”).
2. Omitting or shortening “vicious” parts, which calls into question whether the penitent narrative is authentic or editorially constructed. If Moll’s repentance is filtered through an editorial lens, its “brightness” may be artificial—a product of the narrator’s moral agenda rather than Moll’s genuine transformation.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The omission of unmodest details is acknowledged, but this doesn’t directly undermine the quality of the penitent part—only its completeness.
• B: The insistence on depicting wickedness vividly supports the penitent part’s brilliance (by contrast), so this doesn’t weaken the claim.
• C: The absence of lewd ideas is consistent with the penitent part’s moral purpose, not a challenge to it.
• E: “Vicious readers” are a distraction, not a refutation of the penitent part’s value. The issue is authenticity, not interpretation.

5) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The passage frames Moll’s life as a dialectic of sin and redemption, where each element depends on the other for meaning:

1. The “wicked part” must be “as wicked as the real history… will bear” to make the penitent part “brightest.”
2. The narrator explicitly states that the contrast between vice and repentance creates the story’s moral and aesthetic power (“give a beauty to the penitent part”). This is a codependent structure: without graphic wickedness, the redemption lacks impact; without redemption, the wickedness would be mere sensation. The two are interlocked in a narrative and thematic symbiosis.

Why the distractors are less supported:

• A: The passage is not confessional in a psychological sense; it’s meta-commentary on the act of storytelling, not an introspective account.
• C: The text does not allegorize Moll’s crimes as societal corruption; it treats them as personal sins to be repented of.
• D: While there is some satire in the gap between moral claims and commercial appeal, the primary strategy is dialectical, not satirical.
• E: The depiction of vice is not subordinated to doctrine—it’s essential to the doctrine’s emotional force. The passage argues that sin must be shown vividly to make repentance meaningful.