4.0 out of 5 stars
The sham of Shamela, December 5, 2006
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
