Moll Flanders takes place in England and the American colonies (specifically Virginia) during the 17th century. The novel has a cyclical quality to it—it starts in Newgate Prison in England, then moves to London, followed by Virginia, then moves back through the various locales: Virginia to London to Newgate Prison to Virginia, then ultimately back to London.
Each of these three locations is significant. Newgate Prison was an actual prison in England that was active from the 12th century through 1904. While its population shifted over its 700-year history, in the time Moll Flanders is set, it housed a significant number of petty criminals and debtors. Defoe’s decision to set Moll’s story in an actual prison adds to the realism of the novel.
London, at the time in which Defoe was writing, was not quite the developed city that it is today. In fact, many English people from the countryside viewed London as a center of danger and vice. Setting Moll’s descent into thievery and crime in London therefore perpetuated some stereotypes about the city but also was an intentional choice on Defoe's part.
Defoe’s inclusion of the American colonies as the landing ground for English criminals (Moll’s mother, Moll, and James are all sent there) also has its roots in history. In the 17th century, the English courts would present criminals with options: they could be hanged for their crimes or sent to the colonies. While the characters’ separate decisions to go to Virginia rather than face death makes sense today, at the time, this sort of forced immigration was frightening. The colonies were just becoming established on foreign land and settlers had little access to the types of luxuries they were used to in London. Still, it was also a place where ex-criminals could start their lives anew, which Moll’s mother, Moll, and James all end up doing. They leave their shameful histories behind and become respected, wealthy plantation-owners.
In terms of the setting of the novel, it is also worth noting that, at this time in English history, women had few options when it came to finances—they either had to be born into a wealthy family, find wealthy partners, serve wealthy people (as domestic labor), or become criminals (and engage in thievery and/or prostitution). Moll is not born into a wealthy family, is unable to find or maintain a marriage with a wealthy man, and does not want to serve wealthy people for little pay, and therefore finds herself stealing and selling her body. As Defoe makes clear, Moll understands that this is not the moral choice, but it is the one that guarantees her the most financial stability.
