Pamela Persecuted

Richardson, Samuel, 1689-1761Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 663K words
Chapters: 67

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Pamela vainottuna by Samuel RichardsonAuthor: Richardson, Samuel, 1689-1761,Language: Finnish, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 30, 2016

Editor's review

Pamela vainottuna is the Finnish translation of Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Pamela; the title may be understood as "Pamela Persecuted." The original links its plot through letters the servant girl Pamela writes to her parents, recounting how she withstands the threats and temptations of her employer, Mr. B, preserves her chastity and self-respect, and ultimately gains marriage and a rise in status. The work is profoundly influential in the history of the eighteenth-century English novel: it is at once a model of sentimentalism and moral edification and a work long debated over issues of class and gender. The Finnish translation offers textual access for studying the reception of Richardson in the Nordic countries. In reading, attention may be given to the epistolary narrative perspective, the heroine's self-fashioning, and the power relations beneath the framework of "virtue rewarded"; it should not be taken as light romance but understood within the context of eighteenth-century moral literature and the rise of the novel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying the eighteenth-century English novel and epistolary narrative
Scholars interested in the Nordic translation and reception history of Richardson's works
Readers with Finnish reading ability interested in moral literature
Advanced readers wishing to understand the "Pamela" controversy and its gender and class issues

Not a good fit for

General readers who read only Chinese translations and are unfamiliar with Finnish
Readers expecting fast-paced plots and romantic-comedy reading
Readers impatient with the moralizing tone of the eighteenth century

Reading tips

First learn the outline of the original Pamela and the background of the eighteenth-century English novel, then approach the translation.
Trace changes in Pamela's situation according to the dates of the letters, noting how she uses writing to shape her self-image.
Compare Mr. B's behavior with the marriage property and employment relations of the time to understand the power imbalance.
After reading, consult Richardson's Clarissa and other works to compare the continuation and variation of his epistolary technique.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and the "Pamela" commonly known in Chinese?

It is the Finnish translation of Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Pamela, with a title meaning "Pamela Persecuted." The content corresponds to the original story, the language is Finnish, and it is not a new Chinese translation or adaptation.

Why has Pamela long been controversial?

The novel has the servant girl defend herself through letters and, by preserving her chastity, ultimately gain marriage and status; it has been criticized as packaging class climbing as virtue and affirmed as an important experiment in female self-expression and novelistic narrative. The controversy arises precisely from the intertwining of moral edification and power relations.

Can I use this book without knowing Finnish?

It can be used as an object of study for editions and reception history, checking chapter structure, the number of letters, and the translator's handling; but close reading of the text requires Finnish ability. General readers are better off first reading a Chinese or English translation and then consulting this translation for comparison.

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About the author

Richardson, Samuel, 1689-1761 Author

Samuel Richardson (1689–1761) was an English novelist known for his epistolary fiction. The library holds 15 of his works, including the multi-volume Clarissa Harlowe and Volume II of Pamela. Clarissa centers on the fate of a young woman and unfolds through a large body of letters, revealing inner lives and family conflict, while Pamela follows the experiences of a maidservant and explores moral trials and ideas of marriage. Richardson is noted for the epistolary form, detailed psychological portrayal, and emotional intensity, and he had a significant influence on the later development of the English novel. Public information is limited, so his biographical details are not elaborated here; this overview is based only on the works held and general literary knowledge.