Pamela

Published in 1740, Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is a novel written by Samuel Richardson. The story unfold in a series of letters which gives the reader greater access to the character's thoughts. Therefore the novel is categorised as being an epistolary novel. In Pamela though, unlike the other epistolary novels penned by Richardson, the reader's access to the story is through the thoughts and actions of only one character, the protagonist, Pamela.
Pamela or Virtue Rewarded is about the innocent and incredibly charming 15 year old Pamela who is the maidservant of Lady B. After the Lady passes away, Pamela continues to work for Lady B's son, Mr. B, a nobleman. Initially, Mr. B develops an infatuation for Pamela as he is greatly charmed by her innocent beauty and intelligence. He starts to make subtle advances towards her and as his obsession with her grows, he ends up kidnapping and locking her up in one of his estates, with intentions of seducing her into falling for him. She maintains an air of being a highly moralistic and virtuous woman, displaying constant rejection of Mr. B's affection towards her. Contradictorily, she starts to develop feelings for him, but conceals it for a greater part of the story. All along, Pamela writes to her parents about her time at Summer House and Lincolnshire Estate. In her letters, she continually promises to protect her chastity from Mr. B at any cost. Soon, her letters get intercepted by Mr. B and he stops them from reaching her parents. As time passes, Pamela's letters become more like journal entries of her day to day life. The sub-heading "Virtue Rewarded" comes from when her virtuous nature is finally rewarded as Mr. B proposes an equitable marriage to her. After accepting the proposal, the story depicts how she “climbs the social ladder”, by learning the ways of the higher classes and modifying herself to fit in impeccably. The entire plot revolves around the developing relationship between Pamela and Mr. B along with