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Pamela or The Virtue Rewarded

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Department of English MKBU
Department of English MKBU

This document provides background information and a summary of Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. Some key details: - Pamela is an epistolary novel told through letters written by the character Pamela Andrews, a servant struggling against her master's attempts to seduce her. - The novel established the epistolary form and dealt with themes of class, gender, and morality. It follows Pamela's efforts to defend her virtue from her master Mr. B's advances. - By the end of the novel, Pamela agrees to marry Mr. B, retaining her virtue while gaining social status and acceptance into the upper class. The work was influential and popularized

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Pamela or Virtue Rewarded Samuel Richardson Vaidehi Hariyani (Research Scholar) Department of English, MKBU
What is Epistolary Novel? • A novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters. • Originating with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), the story of a servant girl’s victorious struggle against her master’s attempts to seduce her, it was one of the earliest forms of novel to be developed and remained one of the most popular up to the 19th century. • The epistolary novel’s reliance on subjective points of view makes it the forerunner of the modern psychological novel.
The advantages of the novel in letter form • It presents an intimate view of the character’s thoughts and feelings without interference from the author. • It conveys the shape of events to come with dramatic immediacy. • The presentation of events from several points of view lends the story dimension and verisimilitude.
Background of this novel • Samuel Richardson, a printer for much of his life, had not intended to be a novelist. • He agreed with booksellers to write a book of lightly fictionalized model letters, offering examples of a suitable letter in various circumstances, such as requests for a loan, or condolences. • He produced a sample letter from a girl suffering from the sexual attentions of her employer, followed by the father’s reply. • Coming up with this exchange sparked his imagination. • Richardson set the ‘letter-writer’ aside and began to write what became one of the world’s most influential best sellers: Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.
Pamela Mr.B
General Summary The novel starts showing us the situation of Pamela Andrews, an educated and polite fifteen years-old maid, whose Lady has just died. Before her death, this Lady recommends her servants and particularly Pamela to the Lady’s son: Mr. B. So he takes her into his service. However, Pamela begins to feel uncomfortable with him, as Mr. B becomes obsessed with Pamela. In the novel we can see Pamela’s efforts to keep her virtue. This is reflected when she speaks to her housekeeper, Mrs. Jervis, as well as in the great amount of letters Pamela writes to her parents, where, once again, she always emphasizes her virtue.
• The rest of the novel deals with Pamela’s efforts to defend herself and her virtue from Mr. B.’s advances towards her, as well as her internal debate between love Mr. B and keep providing to her family, or holding true to her morals and losing her chance of a better life. • At the end, she agrees to marry him instead of simply let him taking advantage of her. Probably, because in this way, she retains her virtue and she also gains social status.
The Psychological Changes in Pamela • Some people believe that deep down in Pamela’s heart, she is very hypocritical, scheming, calculating and skilled at manipulating other people. Through the novel, Pamela seems to be humble and faithful to her religion and have great respect for her family. These traits fit for the traditional definition of virtue. Historically speaking, it was the value of virginity that contributes to a marriage, it also affects on male-female and dominate-submissive relations.
• on one hand, Pamela is the representation of a middle class girl who resists the corruption of the upper class, on the other hand, she is in the progress of reconciliation with the upper class, she compromises her principles and becomes a part of her opposite sides. The victory of Pamela’s virtue, in fact, is the progress of the middle class establishing its own position in the social life. Her success marks the success of the middle class, her story predicts the necessary of the rising of the bourgeoisie. Richardson’s pragmatic moral values in shaping the characterization of the heroine are an outcry for his class.
• Pamela is a maid who has been in service to a good lady, Mrs.B for many years. • On her deathbed, Mrs.B introduced Pamela to her son Mr.B and this was the first time Pamela met her young master, • Mr.B said “ I will take care of you all, my Lasses...I will be a friend to you, and you shall take care of my Linen.” • Also, Mr.B gave Pamela four Guineas for her comfort.
• Pamela’s first impression of her new master Mr.B is not bad, because later Pamela wrote to her parents: “In deed he is the best of Gentlemen, I think!” • Pamela noticed the ominous intimacy from his behavior. Here, the readers could easily find out that Pamela is a little confused but overall she believes in her master.
• Then, after reading her parents letters, she became a little annoyed and troubled because of her parents accused Mr.B is suspicious and fearful. • However, she still did not believe that her master will act unworthy of his character. • In the sixth letter, Pamela said that she always thought her young master is a fine gentleman as everybody says he is, he gives these good things to all the servants with such graciousness and he looks like an angel. • So far, all the evidences suggest that Pamela is lucky enough to have a decent new master. However, things take a sudden turn and developed rapidly which neither Pamela nor her parents would expect.
• In the tenth and eleventh letter that Pamela wrote to her parents, she claimed that she was sexually harassed by her master Mr.B and that all her parents’ worries were well-grounded. • Because of her master’s attempted to kiss her and hug her, Pamela wrote: “He has now showed himself in his true colors and to me, nothing appears so black and so frightful.” • Pamela’s mood is like a roller coaster, from heaven to hell, it only took few minutes. However, Mr.B seems took this issue as harmless flirtation.
• After the first insult of Mr.B, Pamela became depressed, frustrated, insecure and anxious not to mention how shocked she was when she found out that her master, the fine gentleman was only a imagination of her naivety. • Pamela felt that she was betrayed, confused and powerless. But this is only a beginning of her nightmare. • Pamela is a dignified girl who has an independent consciousness. She declared since her master forgot what belongs to a master well she may forgot that she was his servant and there was nothing could change her mind not even gold or a prince. Pamela’s determination to defend her chastity only made things worse and aroused further malicious intentions from Mr.B.
• In Pamela’s eyes, Mr.B is a master of confusing right and wrong, confounding black and white. • In the fifteenth and sixteenth letter, Pamela wrote to her parents that Mr.B slandered her as an artful, hypocritic liar: “She has all the arts of her sex; they’re born with her...She makes herself an angel of light, and me, her kind Master and Benefactor, a devil incarnate!” • Here, speaking of the “arts” of female gender the readers have to understand that in the Restoration and the 18th century England, accusation of feminine duplicity were quite common. • Duplicity is one of the cardinal sins in the traditional model of femininity that he both employs and questions; it recurs as a basis for attacks on women throughout history. • During the process of Mr.B’s second harassment, he mentioned Lucretia, a virtuous Roman matron, raped by a son of a tyrant. Pamela believes that the real intention of Mr.B mentioning this historical figure is devious for he said: “Who ever blamed Lucretia, but the Ravisher only? And I am content to take all the blame upon me; as I have already born too great a share for what I have deserved.” Then, after a horrible scene that all the readers could imagine, fortunately our heroine Pamela managed to escape and later passed out.
• When she woke up, she felt so embarrassed and ashamed. Although deep down, she knew that what happened was not her fault but she could not help blaming herself for causing so many troubles. • Now, we could say that Pamela was completely distraught due to her master’s disgraceful actions, though, it is not wise to say that Pamela was suffering a mental breakdown. • But how would Pamela reciprocate his feelings? In her journal she wrote: “he was charmingly dress’d. To be sure, he is a handsome fine gentleman! What pity his heart is not as good as his appearance! Why can’t I hate him?” • It is clearly for readers that Pamela was already fell in love with her evil master simply because she who denies all confesses all and the more one tries to hide, the more one is exposed.
• Total 105 chapters • In the novel, Pamela writes two kinds of letters. At the beginning, while she decides how long to stay on at Mr. B's after his mother's death, she tells her parents about her various moral dilemmas and asks for their advice. After Mr. B. abducts her and imprisons her in his country house, she continues to write to her parents, but since she does not know if they will ever receive her letters, the writings are also considered a diary.
Themes • Class • Ethics/Principles • Literature and Writing • Gender • Pride • Religion • Violence • Marriage
Narrator Point of View • Third Person Objective (Editor) and First Person (Pamela) • The fictional editor who presents Pamela's letters to us comments on Pamela's life and fate from a position outside the situations he describes, so he's definitely a third person (objective) narrator. He is careful to emphasize his own objectivity in the preface, when he says, "an Editor may reasonably be supposed to judge with an Impartiality which is rarely to be met with in an Author towards his own Works“.
• The editor is not really a frame narrator, since we don't really learn anything about him or his life. • However, the conceit that Pamela's letters have been collected and vetted by an objective third party is important for at least two reasons: • (1) it adds to the illusion that Pamela's letters are real, thereby increasing the story's verisimilitude and • (2) it gives Richardson a venue for presenting some the novel's moral messages.
Difference Mrs. Jevris • The elderly housekeeper of Mr. B.’s Bedfordshire estate, one of the virtuous servants who applies to Lady Davers on behalf of Pamela. • She has a genteel background and is an able manager, presumably the linchpin of the well-ordered Bedfordshire household. • Despite her good nature and her motherly concern for Pamela, however, she is nearly useless in defending her young friend from their Master’s lecherous advances. Mrs.Jewkes • The housekeeper at Mr. B.’s Lincolnshire estate and Pamela’s primary warder during the period of her captivity. • Pamela represents her as a brazen villain, physically hideous and sexually ambiguous, though the hyperbolic attributions of depravity may be Pamela’s way of deflecting blame from Mr. B., about whom her feelings are more conflicted. • Mrs. Jewkes is devoted to her Master, to a fault: she is as ready to commit a wrong in his service, not excluding assisting in an attempted rape of Pamela, as she is to wait loyally on that same Pamela once Mr. B. has decided to elevate and marry her.

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Pamela or The Virtue Rewarded

  • 1. Pamela or Virtue Rewarded Samuel Richardson Vaidehi Hariyani (Research Scholar) Department of English, MKBU
  • 2. What is Epistolary Novel? • A novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters. • Originating with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), the story of a servant girl’s victorious struggle against her master’s attempts to seduce her, it was one of the earliest forms of novel to be developed and remained one of the most popular up to the 19th century. • The epistolary novel’s reliance on subjective points of view makes it the forerunner of the modern psychological novel.
  • 3. The advantages of the novel in letter form • It presents an intimate view of the character’s thoughts and feelings without interference from the author. • It conveys the shape of events to come with dramatic immediacy. • The presentation of events from several points of view lends the story dimension and verisimilitude.
  • 4. Background of this novel • Samuel Richardson, a printer for much of his life, had not intended to be a novelist. • He agreed with booksellers to write a book of lightly fictionalized model letters, offering examples of a suitable letter in various circumstances, such as requests for a loan, or condolences. • He produced a sample letter from a girl suffering from the sexual attentions of her employer, followed by the father’s reply. • Coming up with this exchange sparked his imagination. • Richardson set the ‘letter-writer’ aside and began to write what became one of the world’s most influential best sellers: Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.
  • 6. General Summary The novel starts showing us the situation of Pamela Andrews, an educated and polite fifteen years-old maid, whose Lady has just died. Before her death, this Lady recommends her servants and particularly Pamela to the Lady’s son: Mr. B. So he takes her into his service. However, Pamela begins to feel uncomfortable with him, as Mr. B becomes obsessed with Pamela. In the novel we can see Pamela’s efforts to keep her virtue. This is reflected when she speaks to her housekeeper, Mrs. Jervis, as well as in the great amount of letters Pamela writes to her parents, where, once again, she always emphasizes her virtue.
  • 7. • The rest of the novel deals with Pamela’s efforts to defend herself and her virtue from Mr. B.’s advances towards her, as well as her internal debate between love Mr. B and keep providing to her family, or holding true to her morals and losing her chance of a better life. • At the end, she agrees to marry him instead of simply let him taking advantage of her. Probably, because in this way, she retains her virtue and she also gains social status.
  • 8. The Psychological Changes in Pamela • Some people believe that deep down in Pamela’s heart, she is very hypocritical, scheming, calculating and skilled at manipulating other people. Through the novel, Pamela seems to be humble and faithful to her religion and have great respect for her family. These traits fit for the traditional definition of virtue. Historically speaking, it was the value of virginity that contributes to a marriage, it also affects on male-female and dominate-submissive relations.
  • 9. • on one hand, Pamela is the representation of a middle class girl who resists the corruption of the upper class, on the other hand, she is in the progress of reconciliation with the upper class, she compromises her principles and becomes a part of her opposite sides. The victory of Pamela’s virtue, in fact, is the progress of the middle class establishing its own position in the social life. Her success marks the success of the middle class, her story predicts the necessary of the rising of the bourgeoisie. Richardson’s pragmatic moral values in shaping the characterization of the heroine are an outcry for his class.
  • 10. • Pamela is a maid who has been in service to a good lady, Mrs.B for many years. • On her deathbed, Mrs.B introduced Pamela to her son Mr.B and this was the first time Pamela met her young master, • Mr.B said “ I will take care of you all, my Lasses...I will be a friend to you, and you shall take care of my Linen.” • Also, Mr.B gave Pamela four Guineas for her comfort.
  • 11. • Pamela’s first impression of her new master Mr.B is not bad, because later Pamela wrote to her parents: “In deed he is the best of Gentlemen, I think!” • Pamela noticed the ominous intimacy from his behavior. Here, the readers could easily find out that Pamela is a little confused but overall she believes in her master.
  • 12. • Then, after reading her parents letters, she became a little annoyed and troubled because of her parents accused Mr.B is suspicious and fearful. • However, she still did not believe that her master will act unworthy of his character. • In the sixth letter, Pamela said that she always thought her young master is a fine gentleman as everybody says he is, he gives these good things to all the servants with such graciousness and he looks like an angel. • So far, all the evidences suggest that Pamela is lucky enough to have a decent new master. However, things take a sudden turn and developed rapidly which neither Pamela nor her parents would expect.
  • 13. • In the tenth and eleventh letter that Pamela wrote to her parents, she claimed that she was sexually harassed by her master Mr.B and that all her parents’ worries were well-grounded. • Because of her master’s attempted to kiss her and hug her, Pamela wrote: “He has now showed himself in his true colors and to me, nothing appears so black and so frightful.” • Pamela’s mood is like a roller coaster, from heaven to hell, it only took few minutes. However, Mr.B seems took this issue as harmless flirtation.
  • 14. • After the first insult of Mr.B, Pamela became depressed, frustrated, insecure and anxious not to mention how shocked she was when she found out that her master, the fine gentleman was only a imagination of her naivety. • Pamela felt that she was betrayed, confused and powerless. But this is only a beginning of her nightmare. • Pamela is a dignified girl who has an independent consciousness. She declared since her master forgot what belongs to a master well she may forgot that she was his servant and there was nothing could change her mind not even gold or a prince. Pamela’s determination to defend her chastity only made things worse and aroused further malicious intentions from Mr.B.
  • 15. • In Pamela’s eyes, Mr.B is a master of confusing right and wrong, confounding black and white. • In the fifteenth and sixteenth letter, Pamela wrote to her parents that Mr.B slandered her as an artful, hypocritic liar: “She has all the arts of her sex; they’re born with her...She makes herself an angel of light, and me, her kind Master and Benefactor, a devil incarnate!” • Here, speaking of the “arts” of female gender the readers have to understand that in the Restoration and the 18th century England, accusation of feminine duplicity were quite common. • Duplicity is one of the cardinal sins in the traditional model of femininity that he both employs and questions; it recurs as a basis for attacks on women throughout history. • During the process of Mr.B’s second harassment, he mentioned Lucretia, a virtuous Roman matron, raped by a son of a tyrant. Pamela believes that the real intention of Mr.B mentioning this historical figure is devious for he said: “Who ever blamed Lucretia, but the Ravisher only? And I am content to take all the blame upon me; as I have already born too great a share for what I have deserved.” Then, after a horrible scene that all the readers could imagine, fortunately our heroine Pamela managed to escape and later passed out.
  • 16. • When she woke up, she felt so embarrassed and ashamed. Although deep down, she knew that what happened was not her fault but she could not help blaming herself for causing so many troubles. • Now, we could say that Pamela was completely distraught due to her master’s disgraceful actions, though, it is not wise to say that Pamela was suffering a mental breakdown. • But how would Pamela reciprocate his feelings? In her journal she wrote: “he was charmingly dress’d. To be sure, he is a handsome fine gentleman! What pity his heart is not as good as his appearance! Why can’t I hate him?” • It is clearly for readers that Pamela was already fell in love with her evil master simply because she who denies all confesses all and the more one tries to hide, the more one is exposed.
  • 17. • Total 105 chapters • In the novel, Pamela writes two kinds of letters. At the beginning, while she decides how long to stay on at Mr. B's after his mother's death, she tells her parents about her various moral dilemmas and asks for their advice. After Mr. B. abducts her and imprisons her in his country house, she continues to write to her parents, but since she does not know if they will ever receive her letters, the writings are also considered a diary.
  • 18. Themes • Class • Ethics/Principles • Literature and Writing • Gender • Pride • Religion • Violence • Marriage
  • 19. Narrator Point of View • Third Person Objective (Editor) and First Person (Pamela) • The fictional editor who presents Pamela's letters to us comments on Pamela's life and fate from a position outside the situations he describes, so he's definitely a third person (objective) narrator. He is careful to emphasize his own objectivity in the preface, when he says, "an Editor may reasonably be supposed to judge with an Impartiality which is rarely to be met with in an Author towards his own Works“.
  • 20. • The editor is not really a frame narrator, since we don't really learn anything about him or his life. • However, the conceit that Pamela's letters have been collected and vetted by an objective third party is important for at least two reasons: • (1) it adds to the illusion that Pamela's letters are real, thereby increasing the story's verisimilitude and • (2) it gives Richardson a venue for presenting some the novel's moral messages.
  • 21. Difference Mrs. Jevris • The elderly housekeeper of Mr. B.’s Bedfordshire estate, one of the virtuous servants who applies to Lady Davers on behalf of Pamela. • She has a genteel background and is an able manager, presumably the linchpin of the well-ordered Bedfordshire household. • Despite her good nature and her motherly concern for Pamela, however, she is nearly useless in defending her young friend from their Master’s lecherous advances. Mrs.Jewkes • The housekeeper at Mr. B.’s Lincolnshire estate and Pamela’s primary warder during the period of her captivity. • Pamela represents her as a brazen villain, physically hideous and sexually ambiguous, though the hyperbolic attributions of depravity may be Pamela’s way of deflecting blame from Mr. B., about whom her feelings are more conflicted. • Mrs. Jewkes is devoted to her Master, to a fault: she is as ready to commit a wrong in his service, not excluding assisting in an attempted rape of Pamela, as she is to wait loyally on that same Pamela once Mr. B. has decided to elevate and marry her.