Roxana - Daniel Defoe
Summary Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress tells the story of an unnamed woman, born into a prosperous French Huguenot family in England, who ...
Summary
Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress tells the story of an unnamed woman, born into a prosperous French Huguenot family in England, who is forced into a life of prostitution and deception after her first husband, a foolish brewer, abandons her and their five children. Initially desperate, she becomes the mistress of a jeweler, then a German prince, and later a Dutch merchant, accumulating vast wealth through her beauty and wit. She adopts the name "Roxana" from a Turkish dance she performs, which becomes her scandalous public persona.
Despite her material success, Roxana is plagued by guilt and a constant fear of her past being exposed, especially regarding her abandoned children. She attempts to achieve respectability by marrying her Dutch merchant, but her past ultimately catches up with her. Her eldest daughter, Susan, recognizes her and relentlessly pursues her, determined to find her true mother. Roxana, desperate to maintain her new identity and social standing, refuses to acknowledge Susan. The novel culminates in a tragic confrontation, with Roxana's loyal but ruthless maid, Amy, presumably murdering Susan to protect Roxana's secret. Roxana is left in a state of profound fear, guilt, and paranoia, facing an uncertain and likely tragic future, suggesting that her "fortune" was ultimately a curse.
Book Sections
Section 1
The story begins with the narrator, born to wealthy French Huguenot refugees in England. She describes her beautiful appearance and a rather naive upbringing. At fifteen, she marries a wealthy but foolish brewer. He squanders their fortune on foolish ventures, culminating in his abandonment of her and their five children, leaving them destitute. Her loyal maid, Amy, remains with her, and together they face extreme poverty. The landlord, a jeweler, takes pity on them and begins an affair with the narrator, offering financial support. This marks her first step into a life as a mistress, motivated by survival. She has to leave her children with other families, further deepening her guilt.
| Character | Characteristics | Motivations |
|---|---|---|
| Roxana (Narrator) | Beautiful, intelligent, initially naive, pragmatic, driven by survival and later by a desire for wealth and independence. | To survive after abandonment, provide for herself, escape poverty, maintain her newfound financial stability. |
| Roxana's Husband | Foolish, spendthrift, irresponsible, cowardly. | Self-gratification, escaping consequences, lack of foresight. |
| Amy | Fiercely loyal, cunning, resourceful, pragmatic, sometimes ruthless. | Devotion to Roxana, ensuring Roxana's well-being and security, her own survival. |
| The Jeweller | Wealthy, compassionate (initially), morally flexible, pragmatic. | Desire for Roxana, helping Roxana out of pity, financial gain through his trade. |
| Children | Young, innocent, dependent. | Their basic needs (food, shelter, care). |
Section 2
The narrator, now living as the jeweler's mistress, moves with him to Paris, leaving her children in England. In Paris, she gains experience in the ways of high society courtesans, learning to manage her appearance, finances, and relationships to her advantage. The jeweler dies suddenly, leaving her a significant fortune. Now independently wealthy, she draws the attention of a German Prince. She skillfully negotiates her terms, becoming his mistress and further augmenting her wealth. She enjoys a life of luxury and social admiration, adopting a lavish lifestyle and beginning to enjoy the power her independence and wealth afford her.
| Character | Characteristics | Motivations |
|---|---|---|
| German Prince | Wealthy, powerful, desirous, indulgent. | Pleasure, companionship, status symbol through a beautiful mistress. |
Section 3
After several years with the German Prince, Roxana decides to return to England, laden with immense wealth. She establishes herself in London, posing as a wealthy widow. It is here that she adopts the persona of "Roxana," inspired by a scandalous "Turkish" costume and dance she performs at a party hosted by Sir Robert Clayton, which gains her notoriety and admiration. She continues to live a life of luxury and independence, enjoying the freedom that her wealth provides. She contemplates marriage but is wary of losing her autonomy and fortune. During this period, she encounters a kind and respectable Dutch merchant, who becomes infatuated with her.
| Character | Characteristics | Motivations |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Robert Clayton | Wealthy, well-connected, likely a patron or acquaintance of Roxana. | Socializing, curiosity about Roxana's persona. |
| Dutch Merchant | Respectable, wealthy, honest, deeply in love with Roxana. | Marriage, companionship, establishing a respectable family life. |
Section 4
The Dutch merchant proposes marriage to Roxana, offering her a chance at true respectability and a stable life. However, Roxana, deeply ingrained in her independent and wealthy lifestyle, is hesitant. She values her financial autonomy and fears losing control over her fortune if she marries. She engages in lengthy internal debates and discussions with Amy about the pros and cons of marriage versus remaining an independent mistress. Eventually, after much persuasion and a genuine affection for the merchant, she agrees. They marry and move to Holland, where she lives a life of domestic tranquility and raises a new family, attempting to put her past behind her.
Section 5
Years pass in Holland, and Roxana has several children with the Dutch merchant. They eventually return to England. Roxana, now a respectable wife and mother, lives in constant fear that her scandalous past, particularly her abandoned children from her first marriage, will resurface. Her fears are realized when her eldest daughter, Susan, who had been placed with a family as a child, recognizes her. Susan, now a young servant, has grown up with a persistent desire to find her real mother and begins to relentlessly pursue Roxana, observing her and making inquiries. Roxana, desperate to protect her new identity and social standing, vehemently denies being Susan's mother, causing immense distress and confusion for Susan. Amy becomes increasingly agitated and protective, seeing Susan as a grave threat to Roxana's happiness and security.
| Character | Characteristics | Motivations |
|---|---|---|
| Susan | Young, persistent, innocent but determined, longing for a mother figure. | To find her biological mother, understand her origins, seek love and connection. |
Section 6
Susan's relentless pursuit escalates, pushing Roxana into a state of extreme paranoia and fear. Roxana feels trapped and increasingly desperate, fearing that exposure will ruin her respectable life and lead to the loss of her husband and new family. Amy, in her fierce loyalty to Roxana and determination to protect her mistress's secret and new life, takes matters into her own hands. There are ominous hints and suggestions that Amy orchestrates Susan's disappearance and presumed murder. The novel concludes ambiguously, with Roxana living in a state of profound guilt, terror, and mental anguish, constantly haunted by Susan's ghost and the fear of discovery. Her initial "fortune" has turned into a psychological torment, leading to an uncertain and likely tragic downfall.
Literary Genre, Author, Morale, and Curiosities
Literary Genre: Picaresque novel, epistolary novel (though less formally than some of Defoe's other works), early psychological novel, moral fiction.
Author: Daniel Defoe (c. 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, journalist, pamphleteer, and spy. He is most famous for his novels Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders (1722). A prolific and versatile writer, he is considered one of the pioneers of the English novel, known for his realistic prose and vivid characterizations. His works often explore themes of social mobility, economic enterprise, and individual struggle, often infused with a moral or religious perspective.
Morale: The primary moral of Roxana is that ill-gotten gains and a life built on deception, no matter how materially prosperous, ultimately lead to spiritual and psychological ruin. Roxana achieves immense wealth and social standing, but she can never escape her past or the guilt associated with her choices, particularly her abandonment of her children and her life as a courtesan. Her final state of paranoia, fear, and misery suggests that true happiness and peace of mind cannot be bought or achieved through immoral means. The novel questions the very nature of "fortune," implying that what appears fortunate on the surface can be a curse beneath.
Curiosities:
- Published in 1724, Roxana is often considered Daniel Defoe's last major novel.
- The novel delves deeply into the economic independence of women, a radical concept for its time. Roxana explicitly articulates her desire to avoid the financial subjugation of marriage, seeing it as a form of "legal prostitution." However, the novel ultimately portrays this independence as morally precarious and leading to downfall.
- Unlike many of Defoe's other protagonists who find repentance and redemption, Roxana's ending is ambiguous and unsettling. She is left in a state of unredeemed guilt and terror, making her fate particularly chilling and a departure from the more clear-cut moral frameworks often found in 18th-century novels.
- The character of Amy, Roxana's loyal and ruthless maid, is a significant figure. She serves as Roxana's darker alter ego, willing to commit extreme acts to protect her mistress's secrets, highlighting the moral compromises that Roxana's lifestyle demands.
- The novel provides vivid details of early 18th-century London and Parisian society, particularly the hidden world of courtesans and the emerging merchant class, offering a fascinating glimpse into the social and economic realities of the period.
