Book description
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 A. Doody in Penguin Classics.
Fifteen-year-old Pamela Andrews, alone in the world, is pursued by her dead mistress's son. Although she is attracted to Mr…
Why read it?
1 author picked Pamela as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
"O how can wicked men seem so steady and untouched, with such black hearts, while poor innocents stand like malefactors before them!”
Published in 1740 and written in epistolary format, Pamela is considered one of the first true novels in the English language. The novel is, as suggested by the quotation above, the desperate tale of a servant girl whose innocence is threatened by her dashing, wilful employer.
Full of 18th-century eloquence, charm, and wit, Richardson’s story and characters are developed so masterfully that the book dominated English literature for decades. It dominated me for the several happy weeks that…
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