Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

this comparison,if this distinction is applied to the 18-th century novelists,then Fielding approximates to Shakespeare and Richardson to Milton".
S.Richardson used to write "Familiar Letters" concerning the problems and circumstances of every day life which served as models to prospective correspondents.He provided ideal letters of consolation,excuses for not lending money and formal recommendations for nurses and chambermaids,but amongst these letters he included some seven letters developing the story of a virtuous servant-girl,embarrassed by the sexual attentions of her master,who finally succeeds in marrying him.Pamela or Virtue Rewarded sprang directly from these letters(the novel as such was first published in 1740) . Richardson claimed that he was writing "to the moment," that is, that Pamela's thoughts were recorded nearly simultaneously with her actions.
The novel tells the story of a young maid of 16, named Pamela, whose master, Mr. B., makes unwanted ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce) in the sense that it seems as if the reader can actually penetrate the character's mind.The letters are sent by Clarissa Harlowe to her friend Anna Howe and by the main character Richard Lovelace to his friend John Belford(so the novel has four major letter-writers).Richard Lovelace is a very intelligent man who has often been compared to Don Juan,in the sense that he becomes Clarissa's victim in the same way that she is his victim.Although it seems a psychological novel ,it is in fact a realistic one in the sense that Richardson is very much concerned with the social context.Rank and the differences of classes are very important within the novel;the ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: