Samuel Richardson (1) [1689–1761]

This page covers the author of Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded.

For other authors named Samuel Richardson, see the disambiguation page.

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A printer and bookseller who wrote love letters for servant girls as an apprentice, studied nights to improve himself, and married the boss's daughter, Samuel Richardson undertook at age 50 to write a book of sample courtesy notes, marriage proposals, job applications, and business letters for young people. While imagining situations for this book, he recalled an old scandal and developed it into Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740--44), a novel about a servant girl whose firmness, vitality, literacy, and superior intelligence turn her master's lust into a decorous love that leads to their marriage. All of Pamela's virtues of fresh characterization, immediacy (what Richardson called "writing to the moment" of the character's consciousness), and the involvement of the reader in the character's intense and fluctuating fantasies, together with a much more focused seriousness, a more varied and differentiated cast of letter writers, and a more fundamental examination of moral and social issues, make his second novel, Clarissa Hawlowe (1747--48), a masterpiece. Although anyone who reads this huge novel for its plot may hang himself (as Richardson's friend Samuel Johnson said), readers have been fascinated by the complex conflict between Clarissa Harlowe and Robert Lovelace, two of the most fully realized characters, psychologically and socially, in all of literature. Like such great successors as Rousseau (see Vol. 3), an acknowledged follower of Richardson, Dostoevsky (see Vol. 2), and D. H. Lawrence, Richardson understands and shows us, in Diderot's (see Vols. 2 and 4) appreciative image, the black recesses of the cave of the mind. Although Richardson's last novel, Sir Charles Grandison (1753--54), like Pamela Part II , mainly undertakes comic delineation of manners, it also examines the serious issues of love between a Protestant and a Catholic, and experiments technically with flashbacks, with stenographic reports, and most assertively with a pure hero, a male Clarissa of irresistible charm and power. At its best, Richardson's work fuses the epistolary technique, the use of dramatic scenes, the traditions of religious biography, and the elements of current romantic fiction to achieve precise analysis, an air of total verisimilitude, and a vision of a world of primal psychological forces in conflict. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded… (more)

Series

Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady

Clarissa: or The History of a Young Lady (Audio Only)

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Works by Samuel Richardson

Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded 2,475 copies, 45 reviews

Clarissa, or, The History of a Young Lady 1,452 copies, 26 reviews

Clarissa: The History of a Young Lady, Riverside edition (Abridged) 172 copies, 2 reviews

Sir Charles Grandison 119 copies, 1 review

Pamela, Volume One (Everyman's Library) 88 copies, 1 review

Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady [Signet Classics abridged] 86 copies, 1 review

Pamela/Shamela 51 copies

Pamela vol 2 37 copies

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 1 (of 9) 33 copies, 1 review

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady, Volume 1 of 4 (Everyman's… 23 copies

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 7 (of 9) 22 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 8 (of 9) 19 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 9 (of 9) 19 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 5 (of 9) 19 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 6 (of 9) 18 copies, 1 review

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady, Volume 2 of 4 (Everyman's… 18 copies

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 2 (of 9) 18 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 3 (of 9) 17 copies, 1 review

Clarissa Harlowe or the History of a Young Lady, Volume 4 (of 9) 16 copies, 1 review

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady, Volume 4 of 4 (Everyman's… 14 copies

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady, Volume 3 of 4 (Everyman's… 14 copies

Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady - Volume 1 14 copies

Delphi Complete Works of Samuel Richardson (Illustrated) (Series Five Book… 10 copies

Pamela in Her Exalted Condition (The Cambridge Edition of the Works of… 8 copies

The correspondence of Samuel Richardson ... selected from the original… 6 copies

Early works 6 copies

The works of Samuel Richardson 5 copies

The apprentice's vade mecum (1734) 5 copies

Clarissa Harlowe, or the history of a young lady (in 9 volumes) and… 5 copies

Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Woman, Volume I [Folio Society] 4 copies

The works of Samuel Richardson : with a sketch of his life and… 3 copies

Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady, Volume 3 3 copies

Reading & Training : Samuel Richardson : Pamela [book + sound recording] (Writer) 3 copies

Clarissa or the History of a Young Woman, Volume II [Folio Society] 3 copies

Selected Letters of Samuel Richardson (Author) 3 copies

The works of Samuel Richardson : with a sketch of his life and… 3 copies

Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady, Volume 1 3 copies

Familiar letters on important occasions 3 copies

Works of Samuel Richardson Vol 11 of 19 3 copies

Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady (Volume I of II) 2 copies

Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady, Volume 2 2 copies

The Samuel Richardson Collection 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume IV. Pamela, Vol. IV. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume V. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. I. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume VI. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. II. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume VII. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. III. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume I. Pamela, Vol. I. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume IX. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. V. 2 copies

The works of Samuel Richardson : with a sketch of his life and… 2 copies

The Richardson-Stinstra correspondence; and Stinstra's Prefaces to… 2 copies

Samuel Richardson's Introduction to Pamela 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume X. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. VI. 2 copies

The novels of Samuel Richardson, esq: viz. Pamela, Clarissa Harlowe, and S 2 copies

Äsopische Fabeln 2 copies

Correspondence with Aaron Hill and the Hill Family (The Cambridge Edition… 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XIX. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

Pamela : Volume 2 (Everyman Classics S) 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XVI. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XII. Clarissa Harlowe, Vol. VIII. 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XIII. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XIV. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XV. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

The Novels of Samuel Richardson, Volume XVII. Sir Charles Grandison, Vol.… 2 copies

Sir Charles Grandison. Vol.3 1 copy

The History of Sir Charles Grandison. in a Series of Letters. by Mr.… 1 copy

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. Vol. II 1 copy

Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. Vol. I 1 copy

Lovelace's Reveries: Letters from the Vilest of Men 1 copy

Clarisse Harlowe, traduction nouvelle et seule complète par Letourneur,… 1 copy

Lettres angloises, ou Histoire de Miss Clarissa Harlowe, augm. de… 1 copy

Clarisse Harlowe, traduction nouvelle et seule complète par Letourneur,… 1 copy

Hrn. Samuel Richardsons Sittenlehre für die Jugend 1 copy

Nouvelles Lettres Angloises ou Histoire du Chevalier Grandisson - Tome… 1 copy

Paméla, ou la Vertu Recompensée - Tome Troisieme 1 copy

The History Of Clarissa Harlowe: In A Series Of Letters, Volume 6 1 copy

Pamela. Volume 1 Only 1 copy

Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded -Volume 2- 1 copy

The History of Sir Charles Grandison - Volume IV (The Perfect Library) 1 copy

Sir Charles Grandison. Vol.2 1 copy

A Collection of the moral and instructive sentiments, maxims, cautions,… 1 copy

Pamela, or, Virtue rewarded : In a series of familiar letters from a… 1 copy

Lettres Angloises, ou Histoire de Miss. Clarisse Harlove, Vol. 1:… 1 copy

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady. In Eight Volumes. Vols IV, VII,… 1 copy

Clarissa ( 1747 - 8 ) : Abridged for the Use of Egyption Students 1 copy

Clarissa History of a Young Lady, Volume V [Easyread Large Edition]: 5 1 copy

Sir Charles Grandison. Vol.1 1 copy

Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded; Volume 2 1 copy

Clarissa (Volume 2); Or, the History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the… 1 copy

Letters Written to and for Particular Friends, on the Most Important… 1 copy

Lettres angloises, ou Histoire de miss Clarisse Harlove. [Trad. par A.-F.… 1 copy

Clarissa: History of a Young Lady, Vol. 1 of 11 (EasyRead Super Large 20pt… 1 copy

Clarisse Harlowe, traduction nouvelle et seule complète par Letourneur,… 1 copy

The History of Clarrisa Harlowe - Part 1 (The Novels of Mr. Samuel… 1 copy

The History of Sir Charles Grandison in a series of Letters, Volume VII… 1 copy

The History of Sir Charles Grandison, Bart., With 28 Illustrations… 1 copy

Clarissa Harlowe : Or the History of a Young Lady, Volume I (Illustrated) 1 copy

The History of Sir Charles Grandison, vol 1 1 copy

Complete Works of Samuel Richardson Parts Edition 1 copy

Nouvelles Lettres Angloises ou Histoire du Chevalier Grandisson - Tome… 1 copy

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Also by Samuel Richardson

Eighteenth-Century English Literature (Author) 183 copies

Charlotte Temple [Norton Critical Edition] (Contributor) 42 copies, 4 reviews

Women in the Eighteenth Century: Constructions of Femininity (World and… (Contributor) 31 copies

Oogst der tĳden : keur uit de werken van schrĳvers en dichters aller… (Contributor) 10 copies

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