Family and Domesticity in Defoe’s Writings

Abstract Daniel Defoe’s writings have been cited by both sides in the debate over whether family structures were characterized by change or continuity in early modern England. This essay analyses representations of domesticity in Defoe, to explore the relationship between fictional and non-fictional constructions, and assess their ideological, historical, and literary significance. It argues that Defoe’s works cannot be accommodated into conventional paradigms of a shift from feudalism to capitalism, or from public to private ideology. Instead, both the fiction and non-fiction construct a domestic model which represents a radical mercantile appropriation of the extended family, framing economic and inherently exploitative relationships in the language of paternal duty and patriarchal authority. At the same time, the development of Defoe’s novels shows increasing awareness of the drama within domestic life, and the potential of the family as the primary source of fiction.