Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Fallen Wife's Confession of Wealth, Prostitution, and SurvivalBy Daniel Defoe
Length14h 41m
About this audiobook
Daniel Defoe's Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress traces the rise, moral compromise, and uneasy self-fashioning of a deserted wife who becomes a courtesan, accumulating wealth while losing social and spiritual security. Cast as a confessional memoir, the novel combines documentary realism, picaresque movement, and moral irony, standing at the intersection of early eighteenth-century amatory fiction, conduct literature, and the emerging English novel. Its power lies in Roxana's calculating intelligence and in Defoe's refusal to offer simple repentance or punishment. Defoe's own life illuminates the book's preoccupations. A merchant, journalist, Dissenter, political pamphleteer, and sometime prisoner for debt and sedition, he knew the instability of credit, reputation, and social mobility. His fiction repeatedly examines survival under economic pressure, and Roxana extends that inquiry to a woman whose body, wit, and wealth become instruments in a harsh marketplace. This is an essential work for readers interested in gender, capitalism, and narrative ambiguity. Those who admire Moll Flanders will find here a darker, more psychologically troubling companion: a novel of freedom pursued at terrible cost.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length14 hrs 41 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 20, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
8Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 3)
2Introduction
9Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 4)
3Synopsis
10Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 5)
4Historical Context
11Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 6)
5Author Biography
12Analysis
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6Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 1)
13Reflection
7Roxana - The Fortunate Mistress (From wealth to prostitution to freedom) (pt. 2)
14Memorable Quotes
Everybody's Business Is Nobody's BusinessDaniel Defoe1h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Storm. An EssayDaniel Defoe16m$2 · $0.00
A New Voyage Round the World by a Course Never Sailed BeforeDaniel Defoe13h 18m$2 · $0.00
And What if the Pretender should Come?Daniel Defoe54m$2 · $0.00
A Journal of the Plague YearDaniel Defoe9h 49m$1 · $0.00
The History of the Pirates of the CaribbeanDaniel Defoe, Charles Ellms, Captain Charles Johnson40h 2m$2 · $0.00
Aventures de Robinson CrusoéDaniel Defoe21h 57m$1 · $0.00
Memoirs of Major Alexander Ramkins (1718)Daniel Defoe4h 18m$2 · $0.00
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (Illustrated)Daniel Defoe20h 18m$1 · $0.00
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)Daniel Defoe10h 8m$2 · $0.00
Atalantis MajorDaniel Defoe2h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Life and Adventures of Robinson CrusoeDaniel Defoe11h 39m$2 · $0.00
The Lost Pirate RepublicDaniel Defoe, Charles Ellms, Captain Charles Johnson40h 1m$2 · $0.00
Gesammelte Werke: Abenteuer-Klassiker + Seegeschichten + Historische Romane (Illustrierte Ausgaben)Daniel Defoe44h 5m$1 · $0.00
CaledoniaDaniel Defoe2h 27m$2 · $0.00
The True-Born Englishman: A SatireDaniel Defoe2h 22m$2 · $0.00
Colonel JackDaniel Defoe19h 16m$2 · $0.00
COLONEL JACK (Illustrated)Daniel Defoe18h 46m$2 · $0.00
Die Pest zu LondonDaniel Defoe6h 58m$2 · $0.00
The True Pirates of the CaribbeanDaniel Defoe, Charles Ellms, Captain Charles Johnson40h 1m$2 · $0.00
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The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
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Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
Richard Wagamese SelectedRichard Wagamese3h 14m$15
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Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m$20
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