The Dutiful Servant, the Captive Bride, the Good Wlfe: The Roles and Relationships of Women in Samuel Richardson's Pamela
Abstract
This research analyzes the roles of women in eighteenth-century England and seeks to establish the ways in which these roles affected their relationships with each other. Using the titular protagonist, Pamela, as the vehicle, the research traces her in the various roles she assumes, those of servant, bride. and wife, to determine how the demands of each role affect Pamela's dealings with others. The approach for this research was interdisciplinary, integrating historical analysis of eighteenth-century England with literary criticism. The combination of these approaches allows conclusions to be drawn about Richardson's social outlook, his views on domestic service, marriage, and wedded life. The historical analysis was useful in assisting the investigation and analysis of the relationships of English women in the eighteenth-century as little scholarship has been devoted to this topic.
Description
Program year: 1996/1997Digitized from print original stored in HDR
Citation
Revard, Elizabeth J. (1997). The Dutiful Servant, the Captive Bride, the Good Wlfe: The Roles and Relationships of Women in Samuel Richardson's Pamela. University Undergraduate Research Fellow. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /CAPSTONE -RevardE _1997.