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A review by cosmiatrapezina
Pamela by Samuel Richardson
1.5
“You can write, but you can’t edit.” - Regina Spektor
You kind of have to take the old classics for what they are - it’s hardly surprising that a novel written by a white Englishman in the 18th century doesn’t live up to the morals of a contemporary reader. And obviously the form of the novel has developed over the centuries, just as our morals have (at least on the surface) changed.
Having said that, Pamela bored me to tears. I skimmed half of it, because that was the only way I could get through it. However, I think Pamela is a lot braver than I’ve seen her get credit for. She’s a young girl surrounded by hostile, downright dangerous, adults who have more power than both her and her (absent) parents, but she does what she needs to do to survive the situation while staying true to herself. She cries and faints every other page because she constantly gets harassed and abused, but what she also does is verbally defend herself against her abusers even when she is terrified. In short, I love who the character Pamela could have been if she hadn’t been written by someone like Samuel Richardson.
You kind of have to take the old classics for what they are - it’s hardly surprising that a novel written by a white Englishman in the 18th century doesn’t live up to the morals of a contemporary reader. And obviously the form of the novel has developed over the centuries, just as our morals have (at least on the surface) changed.
Having said that, Pamela bored me to tears. I skimmed half of it, because that was the only way I could get through it. However, I think Pamela is a lot braver than I’ve seen her get credit for. She’s a young girl surrounded by hostile, downright dangerous, adults who have more power than both her and her (absent) parents, but she does what she needs to do to survive the situation while staying true to herself. She cries and faints every other page because she constantly gets harassed and abused, but what she also does is verbally defend herself against her abusers even when she is terrified. In short, I love who the character Pamela could have been if she hadn’t been written by someone like Samuel Richardson.