Attribution and Repetition: The Case of Defoe and the Circulating Library

While much scholarly attention has been paid to attributing or de-attributing the texts associated with Daniel Defoe properly, less attention has been paid to the process of attribution itself and the context in which these attributions were made. This essay examines the various means through which Francis Noble and his brother John represented the authorial relationship between Defoe, Roxana, and Moll Flanders between 1775 and 1787 and analyzes these attributions within the larger discourses surrounding the Nobles’ circulating libraries. “Attribution and Repetition” provides an account of attribution as a slow and repetitive process rather than a singular moment or act.