is moll flanders a true story

(essay by Christine Norvell) And it seems to me that perhaps Defoe could have elaborated more on the details of the “wicked life repented” mentioned on page 3 of the Preface (my italics). The style this book is written in is completely fascinating. ( Log Out /  Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Moll is the protagonist and narrator of Moll Flanders.Moll is born in Newgate Prison to a convict mother.She is raised by a kind nurse and later taken in by the lady, an upper-class woman, and her family, where Moll falls in love with the older brother of the family. To say the movie was a loose interpretation is not adequate; it's much more of a new story using the old character of Moll Flanders. This point conflicts with the so called editor and his intentions of the book, although he and the true creator of this tale or synonymous, the narrating persona’s intentions may have varied from the “teaching a lesson” theme carried by Defoe with the masked persona excusing him in this. This is extremely true when looking closely at Moll Flanders, by having a limited access to the others characters opinions and thoughts we as the readers are forced to believe one person’s story and made to question if this character is reliable. As with all novels and stories written in first person, the reader of Moll Flanders must be particularly careful to realize the narrator is subject to be objective in what he/ she reveals to his/ her audience. Bell believes “the Preface serves to get the necessary moral flummery out of the way, by allowing it much importance, but leaving it in the hands of the reader. London: Croom Helm, 1985. Bell, Ian A. Defoe’s Fiction. Home Moll Flanders E-Text: Author’s Preface E-Text Moll Flanders Author's Preface. However, the actions of an abusive Priest lead Moll to rebel as a teenager, escaping to the dangerous streets of London. Moll is a thief and a prostitute, and when she isn’t actively breaking the law, she is lying and deceiving nearly everyone she meets. He promises to marry her, but after their relationship turns sexual, his affection wanes. She constantly entertains the desire to repent. Defoe hopes that Moll Flanders will be taken for what he says it is, a true history, despite the fact of its heroine's real name being concealed and the multitude of novels being published at the time.. Moll Flanders is a 1996 American period drama film starring Robin Wright and Morgan Freeman, loosley based on the 1722 novel of the same name by Daniel Defoe. The narrator is not consistent and often does not seem to be in repentance. Is Fagin the real protagonist of Dickens’ Oliver Twist? These three themes play an important role in the development of the story of Moll Flanders. (c) Whether the story is true or fiction. She married some with money and some without. Ed. Because of her determination to be someone other than a servant, and because of her great greed, she sought to marry a wealthy man. How Defoe comes to write his novel and why he creates the Female Picaro . Defoe says he intends for the ” honest” reader to learn from the context how to not be vulnerable to the crimes committed by people like Moll (Defoe 5). Theme is defined as an underlying or essential subject of artistic representation. In the Preface, Defoe states “…in the very beginning of her account she gives the reasons why she thinks fit to conceal her true name…”. ( Log Out /  Change ), https://twitter.com/JenniferRLJMU?lang=en-gb, A reliable narrator can be defined as one that has a credible and authoritative voice in a narrative. I would argue that, in terms of. Defoe’s Moll Flanders is remembered more for being a criminal or an outsider than a prostitute, in fact, she can be considered a picaresque hero. Moll Flanders: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the famous Moll Flanders. Defoe's work has a different (and I find, more entertaining) style as well as a richer plot line. It seems that Moll is consistently hateful in addressing some of her acquaintances. She lacks moral strength; her moral fiber is quickly overcome on several occasions by the slightest pressures or inducements. Moll Flanders is a story about the fall and rise of a beautiful woman who was born in Newgate Prison. This is extremely true when looking closely at Moll Flanders, by having a limited access to the others characters opinions and thoughts we as the readers are forced to believe one person’s story and made to question if this character is reliable. Defoe instantly informs his readers that “the original of this story is put into new words”, with Moll being “a little altered”. Moll Flanders, picaresque novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1722. Langford, Larry. Lacking true moral persuasion these repentances are, until the end, half-hearted and insincere. Also, she “is never wholly honest and disinterested in her dealings” (Watt 112). A Harlot's Progress (also known as The Harlot's Progress) is a series of six paintings (1731, now destroyed) and engravings (1732) by the English artist William Hogarth.The series shows the story of a young woman, M. (Moll or Mary) Hackabout, who arrives … But, sadly, mischievous Moll Flanders does not actually exist. The Daniel Defoe speaking to us in the Preface is just like a really great personal assistant for the real Moll Flanders. Berkeley: California UP, 1971. Yet, later on in the novel, Moll says “…I had now neither remorse nor repentance” (p.133), which contradicts the character Defoe introduces in the Preface. Daniel Defoe’s 1722 novel Moll Flanders is thought of by many as the story of a criminal turned penitent. He stages his novel therefore as the memoir of a person who, though fictional, is a composite of real people who experienced real events in Defoe's London. And later, she refers to him as an “old wretch” upon finding out about his death (296)! The story of Moll Flanders is the story of a woman who is nothing if not persistent in her quest to become independent and financially comfortable. Imagine him taking notes for her, bringing her coffee, and shielding her from the paparazzi. ... argues that Moll is not an example of true realism, although she admits that looking at the whole novel there is a realistic representation of the background (10). It just happens to be someone else's: the book's actual author, posing as a character that has worked with Moll Flanders to get her story out there. https://www.historyextra.com/period/moll-the-life-and-times-of-moll-flanders Lewisburg: Bucknell University,1985. Your email address will not be published. We’re reminded that, in spite of its publication in the 18th century, Moll Flanders is a 17th-century tale, and its heroine, very much the product of a puritanical age. Moll Flanders tells the story of a beautiful, smart, and self-interested woman who strives to escape the poverty and servitude dictated by the lowly circumstances of her birth. He promises to marry her, but after their relationship turns sexual, his affection wanes. When reading the novel I was intrigued by how Moll’s real name is never identified. Although Daniel Defoe endeavors to portray Moll Flanders as an autobiography and convince readers that the sordid affairs of Moll actually occurred, readers can find through the reading of his work that Moll Flanders is undoubtedly a completely fictional character. Does Moll’s narrative contradict this? Defoe’s Perpetual Seekers: A Study of the Fiction. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Like its famous predecessor, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders is a story of survival. Of course according to his own invented timeline, Moll Flanders would have been long dead before Defoe started writing, we can think of this author not as Defoe, but as yet another character he has invented to help tell Moll's story. And what a bummer, because it's quite a story. This purportedly true story, recorded by English author Daniel Defoe, tells of the strange life of Moll Flanders, a woman who lives in sin and wickedness, surviving only on her beauty, cleverness, and deceit. With that in mind, though the question of whether or not Moll is reliable is not answered in the novel, we (as readers) must answer the question ourselves. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, 1973. In doing so, it becomes obvious that Defoe was creating a fully realized mouthpiece for his own personal theories on the necessity of economic aspiration as a means of moral salvation. He explains that he has altered Moll Flanders' style to make it more polite and modest, as befitting her supposedly reformed character. Exploring Juvenile Delinquency in 19th century England, Artful Dodgers: Juvenile Delinquency and Dickens’s Oliver Twist. Demystifying Newton and the Bible or Torah Code, Themes of the Past in American Literature. Defoe, D and Mitchell, J. In the Preface, Defoe directs his readers upon how to use the story of this “wicked life repented” (Defoe 3). 'Moll' takes its readers on a literary and historical detective story across continents, cultures and centuries: from Jacobean England to Jamestown, Virginia in 1614; from the battles of the English Civil War to those of the Powhatan Indians of Virginia in the 1640s; from the decadence of the English Restoration to the godliness of Maryland tobacco farms in the 1670s; and from the heaving, dissolute … However, while reading, we must keep in mind a question: Is Moll’s story a spiritual autobiography? Defoe wrote Moll Flanders at a time when there was still little precedent for the novel as a genre, and he accordingly felt compelled to justify his book by presenting it as a true story. Both Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders use the literary tool of picaresque to fully tell the story of the protagonist throughout their entire lives. Moll Flanders: Fact or Fiction? To delve deep in to a character of literature and hypothesize on the true nature of that character requires a close look at the actions and reactions of the character in regards to his/her acquaintances and the easiest way to do this with Moll Flanders is by examining her language. Like its famous predecessor, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders is a story of survival. Moll Flanders Summary. With Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman, Stockard Channing, John Lynch. She constantly entertains the desire to repent. Section Summaries Section 1. The main purspose of Moll Flanders is Moll’s search for money as a means to survive. Defoe's humorous justifications for writing and publishing the supposed true story of Moll Flanders is modeled upon his earlier novel, Robinson Crusoe, which was also presented as a true story told by the main character. The novel written by Daniel Defoe tells the ‘true’ story of Moll Flanders, born into a life of poverty. In his preface to Moll Flanders, Defoe states that his intention is to convey a serious moral. While removing Moll from the clutches of the modern media, Rees firmly repositions Defoe’s work back in its appropriate context. In Virginia Ogden Birdsall’s Defoe’s Perpetual Seekers, Birdsall says the narrative “amounts to the sort of ‘stocktaking’ she is forever doing at the end of every ‘adventure’ – – a kind of adding up of assets” (90). Why did Defoe call Moll Flanders a true story? Originally serialised and finally published in 1722, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders (Defoe, 1722) is a gripping story of criminality and punishment set in pre-Victorian Britain. It is true that the original of this story is put into new words, and the style of the famous lady we here speak of is a little altered; particularly she is made to tell her own tale in modester words that she told it at first, the copy which came first to hand having been written in Language more like one still in Newgate [1] than one grown penitent and humble, as she afterwards pretends to be. Can a person who has claimed repentance hate in such a strong way? But, sadly, mischievous Moll Flanders does … (Defoe had) a contemporary reputation as a prevaricating rogue- “an animal who shifts his shape oftner than a Proteus” – David Blewett, Introduction to the 1989 edition of. The picaresque narrative follows Moll’s promiscuous escapades and lapse’s in morality as she struggles to achieve social status and financial prosperity. The standards set by Defoe in the Preface denote the repentance of the heroine and claims to have every evil action condemned, every villain “brought to an unhappy end ” and every virtuous thing rewarded (5). Something which I found puts Moll’s reliability into question is the ambiguity surrounding her name. The first theme, greed, is shown in Molls acts of prostitution. But that's just it. The theme of repentance is a recurring one in Moll Flanders. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Through the novel, Moll shifts roles from whore to wife, from thief to repentant woman, so the novel doesn’t offer a clear indication as to who Moll is. Although Daniel Defoe endeavors to portray Moll Flanders as an autobiography and convince readers that the sordid affairs of Moll actually occurred, readers can find through the reading of his work that Moll Flanders is undoubtedly a completely fictional character. She constantly entertains the desire to repent. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, Who Was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of Continued Variety for Sixty Years Was 12 Times a Whore, 5 Times a Wife, Whereof Once to Her Own Brother, 12 Times a Thief, 11 Times in Bridewell, 9 Times in the New Prison, 11 Times in Wood-Street Compter, 6 Times in the Poultry Compter, 14 Times in the Gate-House, 25 Times in Newgate, 15 … (b) a British journalist. ( Log Out /  “In the Preface, the book is presented as though it were consistently moral or pious, when in fact it is no such thing” (Bell 118). United Kingdom: Penguin Books, Defoe, D ed. The story takes the pretenses of an autobiography but also at times resembles a travel narrative, as Moll’s circumstances take her a variety of places. Moll Flanders is born in a prison called Newgate. It is both confusing and disappointing when Defoe does not illustrate Flanders’ repentance convincingly through her tone and language. It is true that the Novel’s Preface falsely presents the subject matter. From the outset of the novel, the reader is alerted to the ambiguity surrounding Moll’s name ‘my… Moll’s shape-shifting nature is evident as Defoe describes her as “penitent and humble”. The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (aka Moll Flanders) is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. The plot is summed up in the novel’s full title: The Fortunes and The theme of repentance is a recurring one in Moll Flanders. As well as this, Moll is also the name of several female thieves including Moll Cut-Purse (a notorious female thief who was immortalised in several 17th century plays, such as, Moll’s identity is very much shaped by the prison setting as she was “born in Newgate” and it was from the criminal community that Moll gains her name, as she says “These were they that gave me the name of Moll Flanders…”. He implores the novel's readers to learn something from his story of a woman drawn to crime and to pay attention less to the fabulous tales of misdeeds and felonies and more to the moral of the story. It is true that Defoe wrote quickly and in enormous quantities, perhaps the quality of consistency was sacrificed in this process. I researched Moll’s name and  found that ‘Moll’ can be used as a euphemism for “whore” or “prostitute” which fits with her description in the Title Page as “Twelve Years a Whore”. The rest of the book, he promises, is the True Life Story of a Disguised Famous Criminal — a first person account, told by Moll Flanders, of her own life. Lacking true moral persuasion these repentances are, until the end, half-hearted and insincere. (d) Whether Moll Flanders is good or bad. Defoe wrote Moll Flanders at a time when there was still little precedent for the novel as a genre, and he accordingly felt compelled to justify his book by presenting it as a true story. 2. Who is assumed to be the narrator of the story? In his preface to Moll Flanders, Defoe states that his intention is to convey a serious moral. It is true, however, that when “Moll recounts her past life, she does not evince shame; she reveals glee, gusto and verve” (Bell 121). When Moll is young, she falls in love with the older brother , the son of the wealthy lady who takes Moll in, and they have a longstanding affair. Required fields are marked *, Prove You\'re Human * It is the nature of the Preface author Daniel Defoe extends, the tone of the Narrator, and the language of Moll Flanders that reveals the faults in Defoe’s Moll Flanders sincerity as a Penitent. Both Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders use the literary tool of picaresque to fully tell the story of the protagonist throughout their entire lives. Settled and unsettled: Kate Grenville’s The Secret River, Convict love tokens: Exploring Micro Narratives, Criminal Broadsides: Giving the Condemned a Voice. (1978) The fortunes and misfortunes of the famous Moll Flanders. Daniel Defoe's picaresque fiction ‘Moll Flanders’ presents a rogue protagonist. But, as Defoe states in the Preface, “we must be content to leave the reader to pass his own opinion on the ensuing sheet…”. A good example of this inconsistency is the event of the fire, which is called “a rare opportunity” (Defoe 178). But instead of being shipwrecked on an uninhabited island ‘near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque’, the novel’s protagonist arguably has a more insurmountable problem, that of being born a poor orphan girl in 17th century England. When her criminal mother is exiled to America, Moll is sent to live with a kindly, but poor nurse. Also left upon the shoulders of the reader is the opportunity to find useful morality between the covers of Moll Flanders. The … Daniel Defoe’s ‘Moll Flanders’ is the story of a woman who we see grow overtime, allowing the reader to choose their own opinions as Defoe subverts the narrative form and challenges the audiences’ expectations with regards to how we as a society should punish criminals. James Sutherland. The daughter of a thief, young Moll is placed in the care of a nunnery after the execution of her mother. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. Early edition of Moll Flanders ‘Moll Flanders’ is quite an unusual novel of its time, as pointed out in ‘Defoe’s Fiction’ by Ian A. The theme of repentance is a recurring one in Moll Flanders. So, Moll is definitely reliable now, right? At its core, Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders serves as a sort of cautionary tale and moral guidebook for readers. Boston:The Riverside Press Cambridge, 1959. It’s written in what could be considered free indirect discourse, or stream of consciousness. Picaresque novels deal with incredible highs and lows; but Crusoe’s come from unfortunate scenarios, while Flanders creates all of her own fortunes. ; Earn Your Happy Ending: Moll, after a life time of hardships, not only becomes genuinely repentant of her actions, but is Happily Married, reconciled with her son, and a wealthy gentlewoman by legitimate means. In my first blog post, I’m going to explore Daniel Defoe’s 1722 novel Moll Flanders and address the question: Is Moll Flanders a reliable narrator? Given this person, Moll Flanders, is of questionable moral standing, and the story contains morally questionable behavior, the author claims he merely edited the story to make it acceptable to the upstanding citizens who it was intended for. Moll is the protagonist and narrator of Moll Flanders.Moll is born in Newgate Prison to a convict mother.She is raised by a kind nurse and later taken in by the lady, an upper-class woman, and her family, where Moll falls in love with the older brother of the family. Moll Flanders was written at a time when there was little precedent for the novel as a genre and so his priority in the Preface may have been to justify the novel by presenting it as a true story. Lacking true moral persuasion these repentances are, until the end, half-hearted and insincere. To gain popularity To promote unusual behavior To hide his obsessions To justify it 3 of 5. Birdsall, Virginia Ogden. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. That Moll Flanders is meant to be seen interpreted as a realistic, moral heroine can be deduced by comparing her economic worldview with that of her creator. The whole story is told by an old Moll looking back on her life. She married some with money and some without. two + = 3. Ian A. (a) Daniel DeFoe. Think of the Children! An argument of Moll’s so called repentance could be countered solely by the mode of her conversation. Also, the medium of the Novel was fairly new and as a critical reader today, I survey the pages searching for the coherence and techniques used in the modern Novel. And so loosely uses the term “lusty wenches” to describe her maids (295). Watt, Ian. Although the book is a work of fiction, he presents it as a true story – an autobiography. The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (commonly known simply as Moll Flanders) is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722.It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. He stages his novel therefore as the memoir of a person who, though fictional, is a composite of real people who experienced real events in Defoe's London. A fictional version of Defoe explains that the story about to unfold is not a novel, but a true story told by the person who lived it. Protagonist Moll Flanders lives, for the most part, a life of crime. Ian Watt easily explains that “although there are some two hundred characters in Moll Flanders, no one of them knows the heroine for more than a fraction of her career” and due to the autobiographic nature of the book the accounts of the other characters towards Moll are “only given to us if and how she wishes” (112). She lacks moral strength; her moral fiber is quickly overcome on several occasions by the slightest pressures or inducements. The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding. The manner Defoe’s prose poses many difficulties in distinguishing the true from the deceiving concerning Moll. Blewett, D. (1989) The fortunes and misfortunes of the famous Moll Flanders. (d) Moll Flanders… The Preface of Moll Flanders shoul play an important part in the initial understanding of this story. A fictional version of Defoe explains that the story about to unfold is not a novel, but a true story told by the person who lived it. Moll charms her nurse into keeping her out of servitude, and eventually, when she's old enough, she … Further more, the reference to Moll being humble is false because in reality she is quiet vain and she says so herself many times. Because of her determination to be someone other than a servant, and because of her great greed, she sought to marry a wealthy man. Yet, upon reading Defoe’s preface, it seems that this is far from the case, as he claims ‘penitent’ is something Moll simply ‘pretends to be’ (ch.1). Moll Flanders provides examples of:. Read Preface of The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. Picaresque novels deal with incredible highs and lows; but Crusoe’s come from unfortunate scenarios, while Flanders creates all of her own fortunes. View all posts by jenniferroseljmublog. (b) Whether the narrator is Moll or not. This statement does two things: first, it delivers the “possibilities of doubt” concerning the nature of Moll’s sincerity and second, it makes Defoe unreliable because it is a clear contradiction with tone and language in the text (Bell 121). Moll’s story is told the way she remembers it and as to how much her imagination colors or alters the truth is ultimately left to the discretion of the reader. Three recurring themes in Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe are greed, vanity, and repentance. Ian Watt easily explains that “although there are some two hundred characters in Moll Flanders, no one of them knows the heroine for more than a fraction of her career” and due to the autobiographic nature of the book the accounts of the other characters towards Moll are “only given to us if … In the Preface Defoe describes Flanders as “not so extraordinary a penitent as…first;…she always spoke with abhorrence of her former life, and every part of it” (7). Daniel Defoe wrote both Moll Flanders and he was the ghost writer for Jack Sheppard’s autobiography- A Narrative of all the Robberies, Escapes etc. It is true that the original of this story is put into new words, ... We cannot say, indeed, that this history is carried on quite to the end of the life of this famous Moll Flanders, as she calls herself, for nobody can write their own life to the full end of it, unless they can write it after they are dead. Ganz, Melissa J. Directed by Pen Densham. ( Log Out /  United Kingdom: Penguin Books, Harskamp, J (2017) Defoe’s Moll Flanders: the Flemish connection, 20 year old student at LJMU This encouraged me to question the reliability of the novel and its narrator. In fact, the story is often told in a tone of fond remembrance and self-satisfaction. “Moll Flanders and English Marriage Low” Eighteen Century Fiction. Defoe, Daniel. Regarding her own brother as a husband , Moll says “I mortally hated him” (86). Mobil Masterpiece's presentation of "Moll Flanders" (with Alex Kingston in the title role) is much truer to the novel. Through the language which Moll uses to refer to those around her, some insight to her true nature can be discovered. Work Cited Defoe, Denial. She lacks moral strength; her moral fiber is quickly overcome on several occasions by the slightest pressures or inducements. (a) Whether the story takes place in England or America. of John Sheppard. Defoe's narrator opens Moll Flanders as the person who has edited Moll's first-person story of her life. Moll Flanders. Preface: Summary. The novel recounts the adventures of a lusty and strong-willed woman who is compelled, from earliest childhood, to make her own way in 17th-century England. Bell. The similarities between the two is truly something amazing, the two books are only two years apart; Moll Flanders being written in 1722 and Jack Sheppard’s autobiography was written in 1724- the year in which he was executed. “Retelling Moll‟s Story; The Editor‟s Preface to Moll Flanders” Journal of Narrative Technique. Defoe made her up, the big fat liar. her true name, after which there is no occasion to say any more about that. So, from the outset, it is unclear who the. She does not , at that point, show the slightest bit of forgiveness towards her brother when the act of their marriage was not preventable by him. The “picaresque” novel is a genre of prose fiction, which usually adopts a realist style with elements of satire or comedy. In "The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders," Daniel Defoe relates the life story of an English adventuress and her exploits, portraying Moll’s life in such authentic detail that the readers can easily see themselves in her position. However, I would argue that her concealing of her true name  throughout the novel implies that she has no intention of moving on from her criminal reputation. In the novel’s Preface, Defoe appears to suggest that Moll becomes repentant over the course of the novel. I would argue that Moll also has a shape-shifting nature. The same is true of “The Unfortunate Happy Lady: A True Story” in which the only reason the brother leaves Philadelphia with Bedlam is too keep her fortune . In fact, many of Robinson Crusoe’s earliest readers believed that this fictional account was It’s passed off as a true account of Moll Flanders, which Defoe (author of Robinson Crusoe) allegedly ‘cleaned up’ for public consumption, according to the preface of the story. Finding herself in the role of mistress or kept woman, or alternatively married to a man th This statement in the Preface is only amplified when read after the statement made on the first page of the Preface containing the word “pretends” in regards to the “penitent and humble” Moll (3). ‘In much earlier scholarship, there was a tacit (and sometimes an announced) assumption that low life was only interesting as a kind of background, against which the most interesting figures reacted.’ It is true that the original of this story is put into new words, and the style of the famous lady we here speak of is a little altered; particularly she is made to tell her own tale in modester words that she told it at first, the copy which Altered Moll Flanders it 's quite a story of survival he creates the Female Picaro famous predecessor, Robinson,... In: You are commenting using your Google account most part, a life crime. Addressing some of her life relationship turns sexual, his affection wanes of story!, after which there is no occasion to say any more about that this encouraged me to the! While reading, we must keep in mind a question: is Moll ’ s back. Defined as an “ old wretch ” upon finding Out about his death 296. An argument of Moll Flanders reliability into question is the opportunity to find useful between. ( and I find, more entertaining ) style as well as a teenager, to... True name, after which there is no occasion to say any more about that name never... Is true that the novel her, bringing her coffee, and shielding her from the paparazzi mischievous. Below or click an icon to Log in: You are commenting using your account. Her husband both become this in the care of a beautiful woman who was born a... The quality of consistency was sacrificed in this process the ambiguity surrounding her.. 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