Pamela，A Rebel in Progress

One of the finest novels of psychological realism. A fairytale fantasy with an underlying critique of class issues. Pamela in volume one could be seen as a rebel against the patriarchal power and authority. Richardson's emphasis on Pamela's virtue serves as a subversive comment on the upper-class's derogatory view of the lower-middle class women, arguing that they can also be woman of virtue rather than a merely sexual object. The wedding, I think, signifies Pamela's subjection to the reighing power and system. Her letters and journals are perhaps the only space left for her to show her subjectivity and to subvert the devouring power. Pamela's self-revelation itself represents the desire for self-consciousness and self-construction.