When I read Pamela's letters there were many times when I couldn't distinguish her innnocence from her ability to feign it in overexaggerated situations or explanations. It may due to the differences in social status of both characters, as one is a servant girl and the other a daughter of a well-to-do gentleman, and the different situations that each girl faces in society. However, whatever the cause, Evelina's letters lend a more objective and thus more pleasurable read than those of Pamela's.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Usage of Letters in Evelina and Pamela
If Burney's Evelina, was an enjoyable read for me, it is no wonder that her novel was a popular one of the time period. The use of letters as the medium to present the first person narrative is no longer foreign to us (as Richardson used it as well). However, I feel that Burney's use of the letters helped me, as the reader, understand and picture the goings on of the societal culture of eigteenth century England.
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3 comments:
Great point. we never really talked about the difference in class, but Pamela's letters invite suspicious reading--we don't fully feel we can trust her; We are fully aware the Evelina loves Orville, so there is no real deceit. Part of the difference is the change of focus: Evelina is describing the world around her where Pamela is describing her thoughts. But I also think we see Evelina act in a wide variety of situations that don't depend on her account of her motives. Pamela is mostly "about" her debate with Mr. B. Actions are louder than words as the saying goes. Evelina also tells us embarrassing and otherwise negative things about herself, whereas Pamela never says anything bad about herself--Richardson wouldn't be able to stand it if anyone found a fault in her.
I had a similar reaction to the Pamelva vs. Evelina comparison in terms of letters. Pamela's letters were aways self-indulgent, and the entire novel was focused more on her thoughts of piety rather than actions she might have taken to better the world. (I mean, other than praying, of course.) Burney has a way of objectifying Evelina as a character: we are with her in her missteps, as well as her triumphs--which lends an air of believability to her character.
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