Considering that it was first published more than 250 years ago,
Pamela is still a shocking book. Written by a man, it is a strong
denunciation of a man's abuse of his power over a woman. Pamela is
a 14-year-old maid whose mistress, Lady B, has just died. Her young
master takes a fancy to Pamela, but his social status naturally
means that he can't make honourable advances to her. In a series of
letters to her parents, and later in a private journal, Pamela
recounts the attempts Mr B makes on her virtue, and her own staunch
resistance. Her master eventually abducts Pamela to another house,
where she is kept prisoner by the frightful Mrs Jewkes. The outcome
is as unlikely as it is satisfactory. For the modern reader, Pamela
has strong elements of the ludicrous. The heroine spends most of
the book with her apron over her face, bawling her eyes out. And Mr
B is an unconvincing villain. His attempts at rape are rather too
easily discouraged, and when thwarted he sulks and stamps his feet
like a child. The strength of the book, though, is its basic
premise: that no human being has the right to exercise power over
another to their detriment, whatever their status. (Kirkus UK)
‘I cannot be patient, I cannot be passive, when my virtue is in danger’
Fifteen-year-old Pamela Andrews, alone and unprotected, is relentlessly pursued by her dead mistress’s son. Although she is attracted to young Mr B., she holds out against his demands and threats of abduction and rape, determined to defend her virginity and abide by her own moral standards. Psychologically acute in its investigations of sex, freedom and power, Richardson’s first novel caused a sensation when it was first published, with its depiction of a servant heroine who dares to assert herself. Richly comic and full of lively scenes and descriptions, Pamela contains a diverse cast of characters, ranging from the vulgar and malevolent Mrs Jewkes to the aggressive but awkward country squire who serves this unusual love story as both its villain and its hero.
This edition incorporates all the revisions made by Richardson in his lifetime. Margaret A. Doody’s introduction discusses the genre of epistolary novels, and examines characterization, the role of women and class differences in Pamela.
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