From ＂Lady of Pleasure＂ to ＂Woman of Business＂: Trades (wo) man Mentality in Daniel Defoe's Roxana

Abstract

This paper examines the construction of tradesman mentality in Daniel Defoe's female-centered narrative, Roxana (1724), with the main foci on the ways Roxanaembodies the spirit of Defoe's ＂compleat English tradesman＂ and how this woman character, different from her contemporaries, establishes a female subjective identity through business manipulation. Concerns for economic issues distinguish Defoe's works from other eighteenthcentury novelists. Although his imaginative characters are pursuers of money and are businessman-like, not until the publication of The Complete English Tradesman in 1725 does Defoe clearly proffer his definition of a ＂compleat English tradesman.＂ He makes clear that he regards The Complete English Tradesman as an instruction for a young tradesman and advocates business as the readiest way to enrich England. He not only attempts to construct a tradesman mentality but also tries to apply this idea to his characters, especially the intriguingly controversial woman protagonist in Roxana. Instead of merely regarding Roxana as a dishonorable courtesan, the work emphasizes her money-oriented inclinations and defines Roxana as an eighteenthcentury ＂She-Merchant.＂ Roxana is a subversive figure who transgresses social norms with her solid property management abilities; she constructs a female subjectivity by means of her success in business. By placing Roxana in context, the study also examines Defoe's sympathy for women in distress and identifies Defoe's position with regard to gender.