This eighteenth century novel by Samuel Richardson is written in letters in the first person, a literary device that was
popular at the time but is here stretched to the boundaries of belief for modern
readers. Nevertheless, the novel is an extremely interesting account of what it was like for a young girl obliged to be a servant in the England of the period. Pamela is a virtuous and intelligent young girl who has been educated by her
mistress. However, when her mistress dies, she becomes the prey of the master of the house, Mr B, and there ensues a series of events in which the young girl is refused leave to go home to her parents and is instead effectively imprisoned in another of her master’s houses to serve him without knowing where she is or when she will ever be allowed to leave. She must constantly battle with her master and the woman who is her appointed guardian in the house to preserve her virginity and her virtuous nature. While the heavy religious overtones in the novel do not appeal to the majority of readers today, the girl’s dilemma is one that readers cannot but sympathise with. She rejects his constant advances until she is certain that his proposal of marriage is a sincere one. The novel then goes on to explore Pamela’s adjustment to living in upper-class society and being the wife of her ardent master. It had a huge influence over the modern novel form.