Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded, Volume 1

NOTE: I have read several editions of Pamela, and they vary quite a bit, as Richardson frequently revised his books. I can't say one version is better than another, so this review is general to all the ones that I have read. REVIEW: This novel written in the form of letters started a revolution in fiction, and was an enormous best seller in its own day and beyond. Pamela, the working class heroine, was loved, hated, imitated and satirized. She was called a model of female virtue, a conniving slut, and everything in between, and plenty has been written on all sides of the question. What was all the fuss about? Well, for one thing the story is a cliff-hanger, with the teenage heroine constantly escaping danger at the last moment. In addition to suspense, this book also gives insights into the 18th century British class system, the status of women, and the then quite radical ideas of social mobility and self-improvement. Richardson did something quite innovative when he created a heroine who was young, rural and from the servant class. His point was that a working class woman of good morals and good sense could be just as worthy of admiration as the upper class ladies who had always played the starring roles in serious works of literature. But if you're not writing a scholarly paper on Pamela, never mind all that. Pamela is an engrossing novel with lots of momentum, intresting characters, a quirky love story, and a happy (maybe) ending.

Those who read PAMELA by Samuel Richardson today tend to view the motivation of the heroine largely in the light of the novel's sub-title: "Virtue Rewarded." The reward seems to be either a reference to Pamela's iron-clad resolve to maintain her innocence and virginity in the face of seductive pressure by her caddish employer or a willingness to assume the pose of that innocence to play a game of romance between rich boss and poor servant girl under rules that bind both. Contemporary readers then tended to interpret Pamela's motivation under the same social system that they lived in and which formed the implied background of the book. To such readers, society was set up in a rigid caste system. Rich employers could be caddish to vulnerable servant girls and, barring outright murder, such girls had but two choices: they could quit their job (difficult to do since recommendations were crucial to find another one) or they could give in and simply add sex to their round of expected household duties. The idea of an employer actually marrying his seduced servant girl existed only in the fictionalized world of books--like PAMELA. Today, readers are a more cynical lot. They add that though it is quite true that Pamela may have started out as a paragon of virtue, her actions following her realization of the true rakish intentions of her employer must surely have given her pause to plot her future so she need not have wasted the symbolic value of her virtue, her virginity. Pamela begins the book as a dutiful servant girl employed by Lady B, who much appreciates her. When Lady B. dies, her son Mr. B assumes control of the family and the estate. He convinces Pamela to remain in his employ, and so she does. Soon, however, his advances to her take on a sexual overtone, causing Pamela to decide to quit and return to her parents. Mr. B. intervenes by kidnapping her and imprisoning her. When he tries to force himself on her, Pamela faints in a fit. Unbelievably, her fierce battle to retain her virtue causes him to swear off further attempts and even more improbably, he proposes marriage. Pamela compounds this unreality by accepting, and except for some post-marriage cheating on his part, Pamela and Mr. B. live happily ever after. What one is to make of all this requires one to examine who Pamela was at the start of the book, and then trace how she changes during its remainder. Pamela is a truly innocent girl who thinks and acts as a typical 18th century servant girl. She is loyal to her mistress, and is prepared to transfer that loyalty to her mistress's son upon her death. So far so good. When her new employer begins his seduction attempts, Pamela resists as best she can, even to the point of quitting her job and returning to her parents. Where believability goes astray is the conversion by Mr. B. from caddish to sincere and the conversion by Pamela from innocent to mercenary. There is nothing in the book up to this twin sets of conversions to suggest that e

Three of my girlfriends and I have a sort of 18th century book club. Pamela is one of our favorite novels. It's racy, sexy and fun. It opens a window into what was worn, eaten and done for amusement in the middle of the 1700's in England. It's the ultimate social climber fantasy, wherein the pampered and over educated lady's companion eventually obtains title to the estate on which she was born and hooks the attractive rogue who would be her master and seducer. The vanity of both young people, their cluelessness as to their growing attraction, the machinations involved in their somewhat unpleasant romance all adds to the humanness of the story. My personal theory, Richardson loved putting himself into the consciousness of a pretty, clever and virtuous young girl and excercised this impulse by writing his novels mainly from the female point of view. (Note how lovingly he dwells on Pamela's possession of a tiny waist.) Most of the time this sort of thing annoys me, but Richardson does it so nicely that I can forgive him. After reading Pamela, if you enjoy it, try to obtain a copy of The History of Sir Charles Grandison, wherein Richardson provides the antidote to the less than ethical Mr. B. in the awesomely gentlemanly Sir Charles. Richardson books are not fast reads, unless you love immersing yourself in 18 century culture. If you do, you're sorry when the 1,600 pages (Of Sir Charles Grandison) are over. I notice that people who only reluctantly endorse the book are appalled by the sexism and sexuality portrayed. But the book must be taken in the context of the times. Richardson really did paint colorful and wonderful female characters, not models of propriety of that or the current era. I think he created characters he would have liked to have known and loved. No modern woman I have given Richardson to has felt offended by his prose, but rather has been both amused and intrigued. For a counterbalancing treat, first read Richardson, then read the complete memoirs of Casanova. Two different points of view, both stuffed with the vibrancy and adventure of 18th century Europe and both delightful.

This has become one of the best novels of literature I have read in along time. The impact which this story has on the reader, the beautiful language in which it is written, and the underlying symbolism that pops out in every page makes this story a captivating piece of literature that keeps the reader turning the pages and yearning to read as the story develops. Some individuals might find this work a bit dull and slow, bur that only depends on the kind of book that you're interested in. For my case, dullness did not describe any part of the book. I found it very touching and I find Pamela to be one of the best literary characters in English literature. It is the story of a young maid who is pursued by her young master. At all costs she defends her virtue refusing to give in to her master. As the story develops we see the intense feelings, emotions, and confusion that wraps the characters along with the reader. I truly reccommend this book to anybody.

This is where it all started. Richardson gives this fast moving epistolary story a fun and predictable story of cat and mouse. The story is simple and short. Maiden is beautiful and is the center of attention by the rich aristocratic master. Retaining her virtue, she places her sentimentiality ahead of possible riches if she gives into the master's advances. Truely a common element of seduction in the Eighteenth century. In all respects, the reason to pick up this novel is Richardson's use of language and sentiments. This novel produces a great deal of reader participation. For one, the reader must decide which side he or she will side with. Siding with one or the other would produce a different outcome to the ending. This novel reads fast and is filled with great eighteenth-century vernacular language. Lots of insults and name calling are also included which are extremely funny. Calling this novel a "preview" to Richardson's masterpiece Clarissa is unjust. This is a masterpiece on its own and it will not disappoint with the first, second, or third reading.