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The Daniel Defoe Library

The Daniel Defoe Library

Daniel Defoe 157 Episodes Feb 11, 2026

Step into an audio-cabinet of curiosities, where the works of Daniel Defoe are read in their full measure, without haste or abridgment. Each episode presents a faithful narration, as though a traveller's journal opened by candlelight - tales of shipwreck and survival, of commerce, conscience, and the restless spirit of adventure. Designed for listeners who favour patience over noise, this podcast invites you to keep company with rogues, merchants, and solitary islanders, hearing every page as it might have been spoken in a London coffee-house of old.

Episodes

Moll Flanders Author's preface
Moll Flanders Author's preface Feb 11, 2026 637 In which a concealed narrator presents a private history newly dressed in modest language, urging the reader to weigh its truth and moral purpose rather than its outward scandal. The preface frames the tale as a sober account intended to instruct the discerning, promising reflections on vice, repentance, and human frailty without revealing the full course of events.
Moll Flanders Section 1
Moll Flanders Section 1 Feb 11, 2026 1459 In which the early years of a young girl named Moll Flanders are recounted, revealing her humble and uncertain beginnings, her tender hopes to avoid the drudgery of servants’ work, and her innocent ambition to become a “gentlewoman” by her own honest labour. We see her nurtured by a kind nurse and favoured by gentlefolk who aid her education, while she gains the admiration of those around her, set
Moll Flanders Section 2
Moll Flanders Section 2 Feb 12, 2026 1260 In which a young woman finds herself entangled in the romantic advances of two brothers, each declaring their love and making various overtures, while she navigates the complexities of pride, vanity, and the expectations of society. The delicate dance of affection, secrecy, and familial suspicion unfolds with tender moments and cautious encounters, revealing the hazards that attend a young woman's
Moll Flanders Section 3
Moll Flanders Section 3 Feb 13, 2026 1656 In which the narrator finds herself ensnared in a delicate family intrigue, where misunderstandings and open declarations of affection embroil her in a complex web of honour, secrecy, and social expectation. Through earnest discourse with her beloved and the family’s probing suspicions, she navigates the precarious balance between truth and appearance, love and reputation, amidst the shifting sent
Moll Flanders Section 4
Moll Flanders Section 4 Feb 14, 2026 2286 In which the intricate negotiations and misunderstandings of love and marriage among a gentleman’s family unfold with a delicate mix of honour, pride, and mistaken intentions, revealing the woman’s steadfast virtue amidst pressing temptations and obligations. Following the death of her husband, she finds herself cast into the precarious world of the Mint, where she resolves to escape the surroundi
Moll Flanders Section 5
Moll Flanders Section 5 Feb 15, 2026 2071 In which the widow, navigating the changed and mercenary manners of London's matrimonial market, learns that money alone commands esteem and that women must guard their worth with prudence and stratagem. Guided by a faithful friend, she adeptly feigns wealth to ensnare a suitable husband, weaving artful deceit to secure her future while reflecting on the necessity for women’s courage in the affair
Moll Flanders Section 6
Moll Flanders Section 6 Feb 16, 2026 1592 In which the narrator recounts her voyage to Virginia with her husband, the discovery of her mother-in-law’s convict past, and the dreadful revelation of her own close kinship with her husband that shatters their domestic bliss. She struggles with the isolating burden of this secret, the increasing estrangement from her husband, and prepares herself and her mother for a painful reckoning that must
Moll Flanders Section 7
Moll Flanders Section 7 Feb 17, 2026 2024 In which I take the bold step of revealing the strange and distressing truth of my birth to my husband, with whom I have striven to maintain a semblance of harmony despite the heavy secret that binds us. Upon returning to England, I navigate the precarious life of a widow in the fashionable city of Bath, encountering new acquaintances and facing the challenges of limited means and uncertain prospe
Moll Flanders Section 8
Moll Flanders Section 8 Feb 18, 2026 1518 In which Moll, grateful for the ample provision made for her lying-in, prudently saves a considerable sum while living comfortably with her gentleman at Hammersmith, though bound by the limitations of her unmarried state and haunted by the prospect of poverty. After years of devoted service and three children, she faces sudden abandonment and must grapple with the solitude and uncertainty of her a
Moll Flanders Section 9
Moll Flanders Section 9 Feb 19, 2026 1376 In which the widow, seeking trustworthy counsel for managing her modest fortune, is introduced to a gentleman and his friend who offer their assistance with a genuine air of honesty; and in the course of their meetings, she encounters delicate disclosures and proposals that entwine her affairs with matters of the heart, leading her ultimately to journey northwards under the auspices of a companion
Moll Flanders Section 10
Moll Flanders Section 10 Feb 20, 2026 1493 In which our heroine is introduced to an affluent family and finds herself entangled in a marriage founded upon false pretences of fortune, only to discover the grievous truth of mutual deception and destitution. Amidst sorrow and candid discourse, she encounters a husband of noble spirit whose earnest repentance and tender affection offer a bittersweet solace against their shared misfortune.
Moll Flanders Section 11
Moll Flanders Section 11 Feb 21, 2026 1793 In which Moll reflects upon her passionate parting with a gentleman companion and contemplates ventures to America and Ireland as prospects for their future. She later finds herself in London with child, navigating the perils of childbirth and lodging under the care of a discreet but morally complex midwife amid a clandestine world of maternity and vice.

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