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Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed

Pamela

by Samuel Richardson

1740-1741

Novel

Epistolary

Parrying her master's sexual advances, a servant girl wins his love and becomes his wife. Often described as the first English novel, Pamela remains an intriguing account of the battle between the sexes.

Richardson poses as the editor of numerous letters passing between the major characters in the novel. Most of the letters are devoted to Pamela's account of her efforts to avoid seduction and rape.

Pamela is a servant at an estate whose owner, Mr. B., becomes enamored of her beauty. From stealing kisses, he progresses to outright seduction. He makes Pamela a prisoner to force her to become his mistress. When Pamela resists, B. unsuccessfully attempts rape.

Pamela proves resourceful in defense of her virginity. With logic she destroy's B.'s rationale for dalliance. By fainting and faking suicide she stymies his physical assaults. By writing letters she rallies the help of friends and family.

Pamela's virtuousness eventually changes B.'s attitude. As his lust turns to love, her defensiveness melts into deference. When he proposes, she gratefully accepts. The match is not easily accepted: His family resents her social background, her family fears a false marriage. Pamela's goodness and B.'s fervor win over the doubters.

Richardson's novel was daring for its time. The public debated the sensational sexual theme. Readers responded to Richardson's original technique of “writing to the moment,” that is, of depicting events through various letter writers, for whom the thoughts and emotions regarding these events were supposedly still fresh.

Some readers have found objectionable Pamela's willingness to marry her tormentor. Did she preserve her virginity for virtue's sake or for a better offer? Others admire Pamela's plucky defense, both intellectual and physical, of her sense of self.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Richardson, Samuel. "Pamela." Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed, edited by Editors of Salem Press, Salem Press, 2015. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=6CR_0408.
APA 7th
Richardson, S. (2015). Pamela. In E. Salem Press (Ed.), Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Richardson, Samuel. "Pamela." Edited by Editors of Salem Press. Recommended Reading: 600 Classics Reviewed. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2015. Accessed September 15, 2025. online.salempress.com.