Samuel Richardson's ''Pamela'' is a captivating story
of one young woman's rebellion against the social order,
edited by Peter Sabor with an introduction by Margaret
Ann Doody in ''Penguin Classics''. Fifteen-year-old
Pamela Andrews, alone in the world, is pursued by her
dead mistress' son. Although she is attracted to Mr B,
she holds out against his demands and threats of
abduction and rape, determined to protect her virginity
and abide by her moral standards. Psychologically acute
in its explorations of sex, freedom and power,
Richardson's first novel caused a sensation when it was
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 hero. In her introduction, Margaret
Ann Doody discusses the epistolary genre of novels and
examines the role of women and class differences.This
edition, based on the 1801 text and incorporating
corrections made in 1810, makes Richardson's final
version of the two-volume generally available for the
first time. Samuel Richardson (1[zasłonięte]689-17) was born in
Derbyshire, the son of a joiner. He received little
formal education, but in 1706 was apprenticed to a
London printer, going on to become a leading figure of
the trade in the capital. ''Pamela'' originated as a
volume of model letters for unskilled letter-writers,
but as Richardson became more fascinated by the
characters in his letters than the letters themselves,
the germ of a novel began to emerge. Upon its
publication in 1740 ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded''
became a national sensation. If you enjoyed ''Pamela'',
you might like Daniel Defoe's ''Moll Flanders'', also
available in ''Penguin Classics''. |
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