Pamela or Virtue Rewarded Essay
Pamela or Virtue Rewarded By Samuel Richardson
“Pamela or Virtue Rewarded” is a book that describes an “unusual” love story, becoming with the passing of the time one of the classics of the universal literature, because of the way it is written and also by its main theme. Social classes are well distinguished, and any relationship between the rich and the poor is inconceivable. Pamela, as a character, is also different because she offers hope to young maids of that time in a romantic and ideal end. The moralizing book is actually a criticism of the rich and their way of treating people as meaningless, while urging girls to become aware of the power of virtue and purity.
Richardson based the novel on an account of real-life events in which a serving maid resists the amorous advances of her employer.
The action takes place in England in the first half of the 18th Century in the counties of Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire. Bedford, the capital of Bedfordshire, is about forty-five miles north of London. Lincoln, the capital of Lincolnshire, is about thirty miles north of Bedford. Squire B. recounts incidents occurring during his travels in Italy, Germany, and Austria; but all present action in the novel takes place in England.
In Pamela, the central character reveals in her journal and letters the intimate details of her everyday life in language that is simple, straightforward, and conversational. This approach makes the novel easy to read and understand. Moreover, it creates a closeness with the reader, as if he or she were the recipient of the letters or the reader of the journal.
The climax occurs when the squire declares his love for Pamela in the letter he sends her after she leaves his Lincolnshire estate. A minor, or secondary, climax occurs when the squire 's sister, Lady Davers, overcomes her upper-class pride and prejudice and accepts Pamela as her sister-in-law.
Pamela, at the age of fifteen, was the servant in the employ of a wealthy squire
“Pamela or Virtue Rewarded” is a book that describes an “unusual” love story, becoming with the passing of the time one of the classics of the universal literature, because of the way it is written and also by its main theme. Social classes are well distinguished, and any relationship between the rich and the poor is inconceivable. Pamela, as a character, is also different because she offers hope to young maids of that time in a romantic and ideal end. The moralizing book is actually a criticism of the rich and their way of treating people as meaningless, while urging girls to become aware of the power of virtue and purity.
Richardson based the novel on an account of real-life events in which a serving maid resists the amorous advances of her employer.
The action takes place in England in the first half of the 18th Century in the counties of Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire. Bedford, the capital of Bedfordshire, is about forty-five miles north of London. Lincoln, the capital of Lincolnshire, is about thirty miles north of Bedford. Squire B. recounts incidents occurring during his travels in Italy, Germany, and Austria; but all present action in the novel takes place in England.
In Pamela, the central character reveals in her journal and letters the intimate details of her everyday life in language that is simple, straightforward, and conversational. This approach makes the novel easy to read and understand. Moreover, it creates a closeness with the reader, as if he or she were the recipient of the letters or the reader of the journal.
The climax occurs when the squire declares his love for Pamela in the letter he sends her after she leaves his Lincolnshire estate. A minor, or secondary, climax occurs when the squire 's sister, Lady Davers, overcomes her upper-class pride and prejudice and accepts Pamela as her sister-in-law.
Pamela, at the age of fifteen, was the servant in the employ of a wealthy squire
Bibliography: Poole, Adrian:” The Cambridge Companion To English Novelists”, Cambridge University Press 2009, Samuel Richardson( pag. 31-48) Watt, Ian: “The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe,Richardson and Fielding”, Penguin Books 1983, “Love and the Novel: Pamela”(pag.152-197) Zunshine, Lisa: “Approaches to Teaching the Novels of Samuel Richardson”, The Modern Language Association of America, New York, 2006(pag. 48-100) http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides4/Pamela.html