Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Presentation Schedule

Please note that I've eliminated the author presentation from our schedule; everyone will complete 2 novel presentations and 1 essay presentation.

February 12:
Michelle, Essay Presentation (Davis's Factual Fictions)
Liana, Novel Presentation (Journal of the Plague Year)

Febrary 26:
Laura, Novel Presentation (Pamela)

March 12:
Grace and Liana, Essay Presentation (Warner, Licensing Entertainment)
Michelle and Grace, Novel Presentation (Joseph Andrews)

March 19:
Kris and Alana, Novel Presentation (The Sentimental Journey)

April 2:
Grace and Michelle, Novel Presentation (Evelina)

April 16:
Kris, Essay Presentation (Paulson, "Gothic Fiction and the French Revolution" OR Sedgwick, "The Character in the Veil")
Alana, Novel Presentation (The Monk)

April 23:
Alana and Laura, Essay Presentation (Armstrong, Desire and Domestic Fiction)

April 30:
Laura, Liana, and Kris, Novel Presentation (Emma)

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Monday, February 26, 2007

Pamela as a virtuous girl

I think that the story Pamela is a very successful work of fiction especially considering its time of publication. Richardson also did a wonderful job of creating the character Pamela. I think that Pamela is obviously not the average teenage handmaiden of her time. She is bold, brazen, highly praised by almost everyone who crosses paths with her, and is of course "virtuous." But what truly is virtue in the story?


Pamela is presented as a young girl who was not born of any noteable means (at least we are not given reason to think so). She says that she was reared well and taught to value virtue and honesty even from her cradle. She goes on to tell how she was selected by her mistress, Mr. B's mother and taught to read and sew, and the art of being a gentlewoman in general. So, as readers, we see a young girl that had been separated from the time she was born and reared uniquely, being shown favors unknown to others born in her circumstances. So, we see a young girl who is used to attention and standing out from the crowd.

When her mistress dies, in the letter she writes to her parents, we hear her weeping and mourning her lady's loss to her parents. But as she writes, it seems that she remembers Mr. B and the attention and the unique treatment she is once again receiving and it seems that her tears dry and we can almost hear her smile in the words she writes: "O how my eyes overflow... so comes the comfort... my master said, 'I will take care of you all my good maidens, and for you, Pamela,' (and took me by the hand before them all)... I will be a friend to you" (43). So, Pamela shows herself as she is, self-absorbed.

It is also interesting how her account of the story paints the characters she does not like as physically ugly and appalling people. It quirks my curiousity if she is not stretching the truth concerning them. They (Mrs. Jewkes, Mr. B, Colbrand etc.) seem to be decent enough people when their intents are in tune with hers. When she is dissatisfied with them, she calls them devils and other names to her parents. We are told that she was completely innocent and completely virtuous and that her intent was to return to her parents homes. She wrote to her parents villianizing her master to him, but a simple change in attitude toward her from him was enough to have her flying back to him though he had sent her on her way to her parents. She did not even desire to see them first and then return to Mr. B.

She was aware of the power of her writing and never ceased to wield that power over from the day his mother died. She also fainted whenever he touched her or attempted to force himself on her, tightening her control on him, for each time she did, his mindless passion usually turned to empathy.

I also think it is interesting how the characters that she leads us to believe are trustworthy all sing her praises. I am not in doubt but that she is beautiful, but I think she wields some kind of power that they do not and is conscious of it. Apart from her education, her living in the spotlight from her mistress and then Mr. B, who unfortunately demanded a prize forr his attention from her.

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