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Pamela
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“Pamela Asks Sir Jacob Swinford's Blessing,” illustration no. 11 for Pamela by Samuel Richardson, oil painting by Joseph Highmore, 1744; in the Tate Gallery, London
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In full:
Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded
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“Pamela Asks Sir Jacob Swinford's Blessing,” illustration no. 11 for Pamela by Samuel Richardson, oil painting by Joseph Highmore, 1744; in the Tate Gallery, London
“Pamela Asks Sir Jacob Swinford's Blessing,” illustration no. 11 for Pamela by Samuel Richardson, oil painting by Joseph Highmore, 1744; in the Tate Gallery, London

Pamela

novel by Richardson
Also known as: “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded”
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History

Pamela, novel in epistolary style by Samuel Richardson, published in 1740 and based on a story about a servant and the man who, failing to seduce her, marries her.

Pamela Andrews is a 15-year-old servant. On the death of her mistress, her mistress’s son, “Mr. B,” begins a series of stratagems designed to seduce her. These failing, he abducts her and ultimately threatens to rape her. Pamela resists, and soon afterward Mr. B offers marriage—an outcome that Richardson presents as a reward for her virtue. The second half of the novel shows Pamela winning over those who had disapproved of the misalliance.

Pamela is often credited with being the first English novel. Although the validity of this claim depends on the definition of the term novel, Richardson was clearly innovative in his concentration on a single action.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.