The basic structure of the novel, a fictional autobiography, dates back to the earliest English novels, in particular those of Daniel Defoe. To Sail Beyond the Sunset could in fact be profitably compared with Defoe's Moll Flanders (1722), the story of another "irregular lady." Both Defoe and Heinlein came from Calvinist backgrounds; both were firm believers in commerce and exploration; both were fascinated with how things work; and both pioneered in forms of literature scoffed at by the "high culture." Their protagonists share a number of traits, especially a radical individualism. Moll and Maureen are survivors, women who seem to come out on top despite the dangers and difficulties they confront, and both are pleased with their ability to compile a fortune. Both ignore social customs and traditional morality whenever it suits them.

The differences between the writers and their novels are also instructive.

While...