Preface: Summary

An anonymous editor informs the reader that the majority of the book will be told by the main character herself: a thief who has attained the status of a Lady. However, her story has been cleaned up by the editor to be suitable for public viewing. The editor introduces some of the "lewd" events to follow but urges the reader to pay attention to the moral of the story rather than be offended by the story itself.

Preface: Analysis

Although the preface seems only to be giving the reader a taste of what he or she will be reading, there are a couple of important things going on here. While telling us about how he has cleaned up some of the content and language, and warning us not to be offended by what is to come, Defoe invites the reader into the excitement...