Something that I found very interesting about Shamela is that, as in Pamela, the character of the maid is the dominant character. In Pamela, she was dominant because of her moral superiority. In Shamela, she was a devious planner, setting things in motion that would ultimately get her what she wants from Mr. B. In both books, Mr. B is a character driven by his passion, and almost helpless in his desire to obtain this maid. Unlike Clarissa, in which the virginal female character is drugged and raped by her persuing Master, Pamela and Shamela bring Mr. B down to his knees (literally) and force a marriage out of him.
While the moral of Pamela seemed to be a message to young girls to preserve their virginity for the sake of a higher reward, Shamela was a message to young men: do not give in to temporary, worldly pleasure and tie yourself in a marriage. (Shamela p.342)
A choice that I question in Shamela is, why was Mrs. Jervis also shown in a negative light? I get the feeling that the book's author was very misogynistic --all of the female characters were devious plotters, driven by sexual urges, with loyalty to no one save for their own Greed. Shamela even says she will disown her mother if she needs to avoid problems still. But Shamela has, perhaps some redeeming qualities. Why does she give away so much of her money to the servants?
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I really like the way you point out that the female characters dominate: I think that conflicts with the idea that Fielding is a thorough misogynist, although I would say he is certainly a traditionalist. Shamela is smarter, gutsier, and infinitely more interesting than Booby--reading the book, I sense the author's affection for the character. I think basically the same can be said of Pamela. This is the beginning of a tradition: The English novel is notable for its long line of strong heroines. As far as Mrs. Jervis goes, we must remember that this is a satire: there are no admirable characters at all. There are reasons that I hope to discuss further why Fielding would be particularly disgusted by her role as tearful cheerleader of Pamela's virtue.
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