Shamela [Paperback]

Henry Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

Full Title: An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews. In which, the many notorious Falshoods and Misrepresentations of a Book called Pamela, Are exposed and refuted; and all the matchless Arts of that young Politician, set in a true and just Light. Together with A full Account of all that passed between her and Parson Arthur Williams; whose Character is represented in a manner something different from that which he bears in Pamela. The whole being exact Copies of authentick Papers delivered to the Editor. Necessary to be had in all Families.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Henry Fielding, a proficient English novelist and dramatist, is famous for his humorous and satirical portrayal of characters. Writing in the eighteenth century, he is best-remembered for his political satires and comic epic poems in prose. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419146939
• ISBN-13: 978-1419146930
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,294,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The sham of Shamela, December 5, 2006

By 

Robert J. Triveri II (Wheeling, Wv USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shamela (Paperback)

Who doesn't like a good rouse now and again? They keep our mind sharp and the system of checks and balances working like they should be... sometimes though, things go exactly as the trickster wants. In the spoof novel, Shamela by Henry Fielding, the story of a devious and intelligent Shamela, later renamed Pamela by her employer, and her quest for status and glory.
The story was written as a rebuttal to the novel Pamela and how Fielding believes the young women really acted in her situation. The novel is a very quick read, taking me no more then an hour tops, and the entire story was told through letters between Shamela and her mother. Some of the story, just like in its serious counterpart, is lost because of this style, leaving much up to the interpretation of the reader.
The novel is much like a modern day soap opera, with affairs, plots, hidden alliances, and hidden agendas. I believe that this is most geared towards women readers of the time, and the richer men, to know how things really work when a women wants status and power. It puts men into a bad light, casting us as mostly uncaring and aloof from other people. This was a common occurrence in all Victorian literature though, men were always the villain.
The plot was better then most of the era though, seduce the rich, handsome, stupid, controlling... you get the point, lord of the manner into marrying the poor maid. Shamela goes about pulling him in little by little with her cunning and devices until finally he breaks down and, out of what I assume is more lust then anything else, agrees to marry her. Then she gets caught having an affair with a priest. Ah, the circle of lust.
Despite the flaws of the lapsing system of writing, it was a good story that was well told and deserved to be preserved... unlike the bore-fest that is Pamela.