This paper seeks to investigate the complex ways the epistolary novel informs notions of the self, specifically in regard to Samuel Richardson’s Pamela. To do so, it is imperative to evaluate the forms’ impact on the story it tells. The notions of immediacy and intimacy inherent in the letter form are emphasized here. Locke’s theory of the blank self can be used to explain the creation of Pamela. Finally, Rousseau’s ideas about the creation of the self through reading explore the novel’s potential to develop the self of both the reader and the letter writer, the novel’s subject.
The epistolary novel is a work written as a series of documents, commonly letters. Although the form dates back to ancient Roman times, the epistolary novel form enjoyed …show more content…
Reliance on a subject’s point of view, through letters and documents, leads to intimate insights into characters’ thoughts and feelings. The use of this form facilitates true realism, complexity of character, and psychological subtlety. A sense of personality is conveyed without the influence of an authorial narrator, as is present in later works like Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. The action of the novel is told in ‘real time’, as the characters experience it, thus the reader is embedded in the dramatic unfolding of the novel rather than looking back on events from some future vantage point. This lends a sense of immediacy to the plot and enables the reader to see more clearly the characters’ motivations and personal development.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, an epistolary novel written by Samuel Richardson and published in 1740, is considered to be the first modern example of the epistolary novel. Many also consider it to be the first mature novel written in English. Pamela was unprecedentedly popular in the 18th century, particularly with …show more content…
B’s Lincolnshire home. Pamela is imprisoned and is writing in her journal. One night Mr. B disguises himself as one of the housemaids, Nan, in a drunken stupor. He then sneaks into bed with Pamela. Mrs. Jewkes, the housekeeper, physically restrains Pamela so that Mr. B can kiss and grope her. Realizing that the housemaid is Mr. B, Pamela begins to scream and beg for help. Mr. B announces his intention to rape her and Mrs. Jewkes encourages him. Pamela faints with such severity that Mr. B and Mrs. Jewkes think that she is
The epistolary novel is a work written as a series of documents, commonly letters. Although the form dates back to ancient Roman times, the epistolary novel form enjoyed …show more content…
Reliance on a subject’s point of view, through letters and documents, leads to intimate insights into characters’ thoughts and feelings. The use of this form facilitates true realism, complexity of character, and psychological subtlety. A sense of personality is conveyed without the influence of an authorial narrator, as is present in later works like Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. The action of the novel is told in ‘real time’, as the characters experience it, thus the reader is embedded in the dramatic unfolding of the novel rather than looking back on events from some future vantage point. This lends a sense of immediacy to the plot and enables the reader to see more clearly the characters’ motivations and personal development.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, an epistolary novel written by Samuel Richardson and published in 1740, is considered to be the first modern example of the epistolary novel. Many also consider it to be the first mature novel written in English. Pamela was unprecedentedly popular in the 18th century, particularly with …show more content…
B’s Lincolnshire home. Pamela is imprisoned and is writing in her journal. One night Mr. B disguises himself as one of the housemaids, Nan, in a drunken stupor. He then sneaks into bed with Pamela. Mrs. Jewkes, the housekeeper, physically restrains Pamela so that Mr. B can kiss and grope her. Realizing that the housemaid is Mr. B, Pamela begins to scream and beg for help. Mr. B announces his intention to rape her and Mrs. Jewkes encourages him. Pamela faints with such severity that Mr. B and Mrs. Jewkes think that she is