Pamela by Samuel Richardson

Pamela is often interpreted as a piece of popular fiction, crafted with the clear goal of appealing to a wide audience and achieving commercial success. As such, it is considered a multi-genre work. Perhaps what sets Pamela apart from other eighteenth-century novels is its distinctive narrative style. The choice to tell the story through letters introduces a certain distance between the reader and the events, creating a subtle contrast with the realism of the eighteenth century, which strove for a closer approximation to reality. Epistolary storytelling, however, leans away from that immediacy, opening the door to the idea of the unreliable narrator. Through the letters, the reader senses the father’s anxiety and his guiding, protective concern for his daughter.

In many ways, Pamela distances itself from aristocratic literature and moves closer to a female version of the picaresque novel, a genre that flourished in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature. During the nineteenth century, English literature often turned its attention to the lives of individuals who carried their poverty with a certain dignity—characters seeking to transcend their social station, where salvation came through class mobility. This theme, found in stories like Les Misérables and Oliver Twist, is also reflected in Pamela.

The author does not merely divide English society into rich and poor; he further distinguishes between different kinds of wealth and poverty. Pamela’s father, for instance, insists that their family is different from other impoverished families—they once knew prosperity. This notion instills in Pamela a sense of pride and authenticity. Though she is a maidservant, her strong self-respect gives rise to a virtue described as chastity.

The story vividly portrays a world shaped by class realism—a rigid hierarchical system, yet one suited to the urban English society of the nineteenth century, distinct from the feudalism of earlier eras. Pamela’s employer represents a different class altogether: the newly rich, those who had recently acquired their wealth.

A key theme in Pamela is the idea that redemption lies in maintaining one’s virtue. Although the novel is not overtly religious and does not follow medieval templates of promoting faith, it nonetheless echoes similar values.

Morally, the story shares traits with medieval morality plays such as Everyman, where virtue is ultimately rewarded. Pamela’s fate stands in stark contrast to that of Don Juan: where Don Juan must face punishment for his sins, Pamela is destined for reward—not necessarily through a direct cause-and-effect chain, but as a moral necessity in the narrative.

For Richardson, chastity—or, more broadly, personal integrity—is seen as a positive, praiseworthy act. In another sense, Pamela resembles Emma: both suggest that a woman’s happiness and ultimate fulfillment are tied to securing an appropriate marriage. This is why Pamela is often classified among novels that follow a redemptive trajectory and conclude with a redemptive ending.

The novel also presents the use of feminine charm as a recognized route to social advancement. However, Pamela refuses to achieve social mobility through immoral means. She goes even further by asserting that protecting one’s dignity—and having the strength to refuse someone of higher social status—is what secures her position and leads her to true redemption.