Affective Triggers in Defoe's Moll Flanders

This thesis applies affect theory to Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders, offering readers a new perspective on how existential experiences and their relationship to glamour and commodities contribute to Moll's sense of fear and shame and the constant deterritorialization and reterritorialization of her identity. An examination of critical approaches and how they relate to affect theory provides a foundation for understanding how affects shape Moll's identity. An explanation of the fundamental concepts of affect theory and affect's relationship to trauma theory provides the framework for analysis. This thesis then turns to an application of affect theory. Beginning with an explanation of how glamour is an affective trigger, this section analyzes how Moll's search for the trappings of glamour implicates her in both mimicry and deception. Building on these ideas, the next section analyzes how Moll monetizes men in order to gain a respectable social position, as well as analyzes how affects and affect triggers function in her relationships and interactions with men and society. This thesis concludes that Moll's experiences with men produce affective triggers that result in negative affects, which function as a threat to Moll's sense of self and belonging. Furthermore, her acknowledgement of these affects coupled with related memories elicits negative emotions that force her pre-personal to continuously deterritorialize and reterritorialize.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in English

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year

2015

Author dc:creator

• Lanning, Rachel Danielle

Contributors dc:contributor

• Shannon Wooden

• affect theory
• trauma theory
• fear
• shame
• mimicry
• deception
• glamour
• commodities
• social positioning
• English Language and Literature

Statement dc:rights

• © Rachel Danielle Lanning

Repository record dc:identifier

https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1137

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2138