Moll Flanders

Historical Context and Significance

«Moll Flanders» by Daniel Defoe emerged at the dawn of the English novel, in an era when literature was just beginning to explore the inner world of the individual and the social contradictions of the time. Against the backdrop of the bustling development of eighteenth-century London, where poverty and luxury coexist on narrow streets, Defoe creates the image of a woman whose fate becomes a mirror of an age of change, social mobility, and moral trials. Moll’s destiny, full of passion for life and an indomitable will to survive, embodies the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society, while also opening new horizons for the female voice in literature. The novel had a profound impact on the development of realistic prose, laying the foundations of the picaresque genre and becoming one of the first works to portray a woman’s fate with such psychological depth and drama. «Moll Flanders» not only reflected the morals and anxieties of its time, but also became a symbol of the search for freedom and self-determination, inspiring generations of writers and readers to reflect on the nature of human destiny and the boundaries of morality.