Praise them with Great Praise!

[icarus]

Aaaaugh! This latter half of Pamela is worse than the "Praise them with great praise!" scenes in the Lord of the Rings.

I persist in my belief that she's a victim of Stockholm Syndrome.

I'm going to read and write an orgy of fanfic when I finish this book. Just watch. On the bus I was mentally writing deep background that'll never appear in the John-Screws-Up fic but might just make sense of a scrambled scene.

Thanks, Lorne.

Comments

[ursula]

Well, as I see it there are two interesting things about the second part of Pamela:

1) In any modern novel/movie/what-have-you there would never have been a Part II, because things would have ended at marriage or the sex scene after marriage. So it's interesting from a plot-conventions point of view.

2) Poor little lower-class Pamela being holier-than-thou at the rich relatives is kind of entertaining.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

1) In any modern novel/movie/what-have-you there would never have been a Part II, because things would have ended at marriage or the sex scene after marriage. So it's interesting from a plot-conventions point of view.

Likewise Tolkien showing the Scouring of the Shire after the Grande Victory. But part II I think is largely because Richardson was writing a Conduct Book disguised as a novel and so he needed to bring on the Rewards... and move on to the next Conduct Book.

2) Poor little lower-class Pamela being holier-than-thou at the rich relatives is kind of entertaining.

I hope so. I'm mired in the "Mr. B-- is so wonderful and look, there's Daddy!" part. Mired being the operative word, like wheels spinning in mud.

I think I'll skim.

And I so want to beta-read his ass. "Cut, cut, cut and cut some more!"

Icarus

[ursula]

I thought he went on to some incredibly long thing about someone who falls desperately in love and loses her virtue?

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

Clarissa!

Four volumes of How to Expire Virtuously and Watch Everyone Else Reap the Consequences of Sin.

[ursula]

Yeah, somehow I haven't been tempted ;)

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I can't be the only one who wants to see some good Clarissa/Anna slash. Or Lovelace/Belford. Can I?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh good God, yes. 1,000 words of (as tekalyn has Duly Noted) Clarissa.

I vow that it is his Habit of Over-Editing and Compulsiveness that increased the Volume Exceedingly.

Icarus

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

And Providing an Exemplary Model of Conduct and Deportment Under Adverse Conditions (such as major sexual harrassment from your boss) While Never Neglecting One's Duty to One's Parents (ie writing screeds upon screeds of chatty letters, all of which are guaranteed to make Mama and Papa clutch their chests in horror and slump to the floor).

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Keep telling yourself that Pamela-baby was a clever kid on the make (but very naive and unselfconscious), with presentation issues that don't worry us. Then look again.

Yes, the letter format is tedious beyond words. But every novelist needs a convention to write in.

Shamela ain't bad. But Pamela's OK. Tom Jones is a riot, but what do you expect, from a so much better writer?

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Er. Joseph Andrews? Time slip of some sort there.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

I would dearly love to know what you'd think of _Joseph Andrews_ after wading through _Pamela_.

[ursula]

Mmmm, Joseph Andrews. Though I read it intermingled with the latest Neal Stephenson gigantic series, so I kept thinking about what the constant failure to pay inn bills said about the way credit worked in England in that time period, which was perhaps not the point . . .

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

You shall, as I believe he's next on the list. Vicar of Wakefield, yes?

Well. After Shamela, which I shall Enjoy Immensely, no doubt.

Icarus

[mkcs.livejournal.com]

Goodness. I honestly didn't think there was any way I'd ever actually feel like reading that book (I've only read bits). Now I want to see if I agree with you.

[pastles.livejournal.com]

It's just too weird to keep seeing my name mentioned and realising that you're talking about a book.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Especially since we're being so insulting. Not to worry, I've never seen any trace of you being a Melodramatic Shrinking Violet with Pretentions to Virtue.

Icarus