Pamela Study questions
Who's Pamela at the beginning of the novel?
How does Richardson attract the reader's attention to the epistolary nature of his novel? At what points is the material reality of letter-writing emphasized? Do you find it sometimes improbable?
What do Pamela's letters reveal and what do they conceal?
Pamela has a chance to run away from her imprisonment. Why doesn't she use it?
The novel ends with a long moral. What is its purpose? Why was Richardson so keen on emphasizing the improving character of his book?
The ending of Pamela - “virtue rewarded” - has been controversial from the moment of its publication (vide Fielding's Shamela). What are the possible reasons for controversy? On which side of the controversy are you?