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Why the First Novel Created Such a Stir - JSTOR Daily

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Samuel Richardson's Pamela, the first novel in English, astounded and terrified readers. Authors have striven for the same effect since.

The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR. Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded , first published in 1740, is widely regarded as the first English novel. It was certainly the first bestseller, hyped, saluted, and scorned in equal measure. Considering current events, it should also be noted that the novel is about sexual harassment : its fifteen-year-old protagonist, a maidservant, is continually threatened with sexual assault by her boss. By fending off Mr. B., Pamela Andrews’s virtue is rewarded… with marriage to Mr. B. (insert exclamation points), a

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