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.
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