The edition of Pamela a person reads will affect his or her perception of Pamela's ascent into aristocratic society. Richardson's revisions to the fourteenth edition of Pamela, published posthumously in 1801, change Pamela's character from the 1740 first edition in such a way as to make her social climb more believable to readers outside the novel and to "readers" inside the novel. Pamela alters her language, her actions, and her role in the household by the end of the first edition; in the fourteenth edition, however, she changes in little more than her title. Pamela might begin as a novel that threatens the fabric of class hierarchies, but it ends-both within the plot and externally throughout its many editions-as a novel that stabilizes and strengthens social norms.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc4638 |
Date | 08 1900 |
Creators | Bender, Ashley Brookner |
Contributors | Pettit, Alexander, Preston, Thomas R., Armintor, Deborah Needleman |
Publisher | University of North Texas |
Source Sets | University of North Texas |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
Format | Text |
Rights | Public, Copyright, Bender, Ashley Brookner, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds