"I am Pamela, her own self!”: Psychosocial and Moral Development in Samuel Richardson’s Pamela
This paper examines Samuel Richardson's 1740 novel Pamela through two modern models of adolescent development: moral development (Kohlberg and Turiel) and psychosocial development (Erikson, Marcia, and Luyckx et al.). It argues that the novel's eponymous heroine is a complex character who...
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| Format: | Others |
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BYU ScholarsArchive
2020
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| Online Access: | https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8932 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=9941&context=etd |
| Summary: | This paper examines Samuel Richardson's 1740 novel Pamela through two modern models of adolescent development: moral development (Kohlberg and Turiel) and psychosocial development (Erikson, Marcia, and Luyckx et al.). It argues that the novel's eponymous heroine is a complex character who moves beyond the simple stereotypes, being neither a perfect model of feminine virtue nor a coquette on the prowl for a wealthy catch. By examining the developmental arcs Pamela experiences in the novel, it is possible to read her as a typical teenage girl who achieves virtue through errors and growth rather than a static character whose virtue (or simulacrum of it) maintains a flatline. |
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