This tale of attracted lovers--one a virtuous young woman, the other a charming and wicked young man--is, like Pamela, a novel told in psychologically revealing letters.

'Pamela under the Notion of being a Virtuous Modest Girl will be introduced into all Familes,and when she gets there, what Scenes does she represent? Why a fine young Gentleman endeavouring to debauch a beautiful young Girl of Sixteen.' (Pamela Censured, 1741) One of the most spectacular successes of the burgeoning literary marketplace of eighteeent-century London, Pamela also marked a defining moment in the emergence of the modern novel. In the words of one contemporary, it divided the world 'into two different Parties, Pamelists and Antipamelists', even eclipsing the sensational factional politics of the day. Preached up for its morality, and denounced as pornography in disguise, it vividly describes a young servant's long resistance to the attempts of her predatory master to seduce her. Written in the voice of its low-born heroine, but by a printer who fifteen years earlier had narrowly escaped imprisonment for the seditious output of his press, Pamela is not only a work of pioneering psychological complexity, but also a compelling and provocative study of power and its abuse. Based on the original text of 1740, from which Richardson later retreated in a series of defensive revisions, this edition makes available the version of Pamela that aroused such widespread controversy on its first appearance. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Based on actual events, Pamela is the story of a young girl who goes to work in a private residence and finds herself pursued by her employer's son, described as a "gentleman of free principles." Unfolding through letters, the novel depicts with much feeling Pamela's struggles to decide how to respond to her would-be seducer and to determine her place in society.

Samuel Richardson (1689–1761), a prominent London printer, is considered by many the father of the English novel, and Pamela the first modern novel. Following its hugely successful publication in 1740, it went on to become one of the most influential books in literary history, setting the course for the novel for the next century and beyond. Pamela reflects changing social roles in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, as a rising middle class offered women more choices and as traditional master-servant relationships underwent change.

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740) is a novel by English writer and printer Samuel Richardson. Recognized as the first English novel, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded is an epistolary novel that takes on the themes made popular in conduct literature, a genre dedicated to educating readers on social norms. An immediate bestseller, the novel was frequently read aloud in villages and at sermons, furthering its success and popularizing the form of the novel for other writers to imitate and adapt. Pamela Andrews is a fifteen-year-old maidservant at an estate in Bedfordshire. When Lady B, her employer, dies, her son Mr. B takes an interest in the innocent young girl, quickly turning from generosity to outright attempts at seducing her. As Pamela rejects his advances, she considers returning home to live in poverty with her parents. When he catches wind of her plan, however, Mr. B accuses Pamela of having an affair, notifying her parents and leaving her with nowhere to go. Devastated, the young girl takes a position at Lincolnshire Estate, where she is abused by her employer Mrs. Jewkes. Suffering from frequent beatings and a prolonged period of confinement, Pamela secretly communicates with the chaplain Mr. Williams. Desperate to escape, but determined to stick to her morals, Pamela resists renewed advances from Mr. B, who continues his jealous pursuit. As the novel reaches its conclusion, Pamela is forced to confront her fear of moral transgression, while Mr. B is faced with the possibility of reforming his libertine ways. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

‘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.