Pamela by Samuel Richardson

First published: 1740–1741

Type of work: Novel

Type of plot: Epistolary

Time of plot: Early eighteenth century

Locale: England

Principal Characters

• Pamela Andrews, a servant girl
• Mr. B——, her master
• Mrs. Jervis, Mr. B——’s housekeeper
• Mrs. Jewkes, the caretaker of Mr. B——’s country home
• Lady Davers, Mr. B——’s sister

The Story

Pamela Andrews has been employed from a very young age as the servant girl of Lady B—— at her estate in Bedfordshire. She has grown very fond of her mistress, so the letter to her parents telling of her ladyship’s death expresses her deep sorrow. Her own plans are uncertain, but it soon becomes clear that Lady B——’s son wants her to remain in his household. Taking her hand before all the other servants, he has said that he will be a good master to Pamela for his dear mother’s sake if she continues faithful and diligent. Mrs. Jervis, the housekeeper, puts in a friendly word as well, and Pamela, not wishing to be a burden upon her poor parents, decides to remain in the service of Mr. B——. Shortly, however, she begins to doubt that his intentions toward her are honorable. When he kisses her one day, while she sits sewing in a summerhouse, she finds herself in a quandary as to what to do.

Once again, she discusses the situation with the good Mrs. Jervis and decides to stay if she can share the housekeeper’s bed. Mr. B—— is extremely annoyed at this turn of affairs. He tries to persuade Mrs. Jervis that Pamela is a very designing creature who should be carefully watched. When he learns that she is writing long letters to her parents, telling them in great detail of his false proposals and repeating her determination to keep her virtue, he has as many of her letters intercepted as possible.

In a frightening interview with Mr. B——, Pamela, and Mrs. Jervis, he intimidates the housekeeper by his terrifying manner and tells Pamela to return to her former poverty. After talking the matter over with her friend, however, Pamela decides that Mr. B—— has given up his plan to ruin her and that there is no longer any reason for her to leave. Another interview with Mr. B——, however, convinces her that she should return to her parents upon the completion of some household duties entrusted to her. When Mr. B—— discovers that she is indeed planning to leave, a furious scene follows, in which he accuses her of pride beyond her station. That night he conceals himself in the closet of her room. When she discovers him, Pamela throws herself on the bed and falls into a fit. Pamela and Mrs. Jervis serve notice. Despite Mr. B——’s threats on the one hand and his cajoling on the other, Pamela remains firm in her decision to return home. The housekeeper is reinstated in her position, but Pamela sets out by herself in the coach Mr. B—— had ordered for her to return to her parents.

What she thinks is Mr. B——’s kindness is but designing trickery. Instead of arriving at her parents’ humble home, Pamela becomes a prisoner at Mr. B——’s country estate, where the coachman has driven her. Mrs. Jewkes, the caretaker, has none of Mrs. Jervis’s kindness of heart, and Pamela is cruelly confined. It is only by clever scheming that she is able to continue sending letters to her parents. She is aided by Mr. Williams, the village minister, who smuggles her mail out of the house. The young man soon confesses his love for Pamela and his desire to marry her. Pamela refuses his offer, but she devises a plan to escape with his help. Unfortunately, Mrs. Jewkes is too wily a jailer. When she suspects that the two are planning Pamela’s escape, she writes to Mr. B——, who is still in London. Pamela’s persecutor, aided by his agents, contrives to have Mr. Williams thrown into jail on a trumped-up charge.

Although her plot has been discovered, Pamela does not allow herself to be discouraged. That night, she drops from her window into the garden. When she tries to escape from the garden, however, she finds the gate padlocked. Mrs. Jewkes discovers her cringing in the woodshed. From that time on, her warder’s vigilance and cruelty increase. At length, Mr. B—— arrives and frightens Pamela still further with his threats. With the help of Mrs. Jewkes, he attempts to force himself upon her, but opportunely Pamela is seized by fits. Mr. B—— expresses his remorse and promises never to attempt to molest her again. Pamela now suspects that her virtue will soon be rewarded, for Mr. B—— proposes marriage to her. Just as she is enjoying the thought of becoming Mrs. B——, an anonymous warning arrives, suggesting that she beware of a sham marriage. Pamela is greatly upset. At her request, a coach is called, and she sets out to visit her parents. On the way, however, letters arrive from Mr. B—— entreating her to return to him and offering an honorable proposal of marriage.

Pamela returns immediately to Mr. B——’s hall; despite all that has passed, she realizes that she is in love with Mr. B——. He, in turn, is delighted with her beauty and goodness. She and Mr. B—— are married by Mr. Williams before a few witnesses. Mr. Andrews, Pamela’s father, is present. There is great rejoicing in the Andrews household when Mr. Andrews returns and is told of his daughter’s virtue and of the happiness it brings her.

Pamela readily adapts herself to her new role as the wife of a gentleman. With typical virtue, she quickly forgives Mrs. Jewkes for her former ill treatment. The only flaw in her married state is that Lady Davers, Mr. B——’s sister, is angry with her brother because of his marriage to a servant girl. Pamela is alone when Lady Davers arrives. She insults Pamela, who flees to her husband for consolation. A terrible scene takes place between Mr. B—— and Lady Davers, but Pamela soon wins the love and respect of the good woman when she shows her the letters she wrote about her earlier sufferings.

One day, Mr. B—— tells Pamela of a previous love affair with Miss Sally Godfrey and takes her to see his daughter, who had been placed in a boarding school in the neighborhood. Pamela likes the little girl and asks to have the pretty child under her care at a future time. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are pleased with Pamela’s accounts of her happiness and of Mr. B——’s goodness to her. He gives the old people a substantial gift of money and thus enables them to set themselves up in a small but comfortable business.

Lady Davers’s correspondence with Pamela continues at great length, and she increasingly expresses her approval of Pamela’s virtue and her disgust with her brother’s attempts to dishonor her. During a visit she pays the young couple, Mr. B—— expresses his regret for his earlier unmannerly conduct toward the one who has become his dearly beloved wife. Mr. B——’s uncle, Sir Jacob Swynford, visits his nephew; he is prepared to detest the inferior creature Mr. B—— has married. Pamela’s charm, beauty, and virtue, however, win his heart completely, and the grumpy old man leaves full of praises for his lovely niece.

At last, Mr. B—— and Pamela decide to leave the country and return to London. Although her husband is still as attentive and thoughtful as ever, Pamela begins to suspect that he might be having an affair with another woman. She is particularly distressed that she cannot accompany him to the theater and other places of amusement, as she is about to have a child. The scene of the christening of their son is joyful; in addition to the family, tenants from the estate arrive to express their joy that Mr. B—— now has a son and heir.

Nevertheless, Pamela’s suspicions after all are justified. An anonymous note informs her that the business trip Mr. B—— had taken was in reality a journey to a neighboring city with a countess with whom he is having an affair. Pamela controls her passions, and when Mr. B—— returns, he is so overcome by this further evidence of her kindness and understanding that he begs her forgiveness and promises to remain faithful to her from that day on. Pamela makes good use of the letters she had written to Lady Davers during this trying period by sending them to the countess, hoping that she might learn from them and turn away from the path of license.

True to her earlier wish, Pamela decides to take in Sally Godfrey’s child and bring her up as a sister for her own son, Billy. Mr. B—— is faithful to his resolve to devote himself only to his wife, and he spends the remainder of his days admiring and praising her virtue.

Bibliography

Ardolino, Frank. "Richardson's Pamela." Explicator 66.2 (2008): 78–82. Print.

Blewitt, David, ed. Passion and Virtue: Essays on the Novels of Samuel Richardson. Buffalo: U of Toronto P, 2001. Print.

Flynn, Carol Houlihan. Samuel Richardson: A Man of Letters. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1982. Print.

Keymer, Thomas. Richardson’s “Clarissa” and the Eighteenth Century Reader. New York: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.

Keymer, Thomas, and Peter Sabor. Pamela in the Marketplace: Literary Controversy and Print Culture in Eighteenth-Century Britain and Ireland. New York: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.

Leiman, Jessica L. "'Booby's fruitless operations": The Crisis of Male Authority in Richardson's Pamela." Eighteenth Century Fiction 22.2 (2010): 223–48. Print.

Rivero, Albert J., ed. New Essays on Samuel Richardson. New York: Palgrave, 1996. Print.

Roxburgh, Natalie. "Rethinking Gender and Virtue through Richardson's Domestic Accounting." Eighteenth Century Fiction 24.3 (2012): 403–29. Print.

Watt, Ian. The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding. 2nd American ed. Berkeley: U of California P, 2001. Print.