Francis Burney's usage of the epistolary Novel

Evelina displays another creative way to use the epistolary technique. Early on in reading I am seeing how the story is about Evelina but it's not being told through the mind or eyes of Evelina like Pamela or Anti Pamela. Its like lady Howard is kind of narrating the story through her letters to Rev. Villars. It gives the novel a creative twist because it's like we're learning about Evelina's actions and characteristic developments at the same time he is. It gives a very current feel to the novel, we're not omniscient in this novel so we don't know how Evelina will turn out as a person or what is going to happen to her, which builds up anticipation because I have no idea of what this book is really about yet.

It seems as though we are watching Evelina develop into a woman through the eyes of her designated guardian. I just though that was another cool way to use the epistolary technique in a novel, paralleled to Haywood's and Richardson's.

"Syrena's gettin a lil sloppy on the pimpin"

Throughout the story Ms. Tricksy stressed the importance of being above the average pretty woman and avoiding men's passes. Syrena started out doing well in carrying out these stealthy gold digger maneuvers. As the story unravels I'm beginning to see some Ms. Tricksy's teachings ignored by Syrena. she already broke the rules by continuing her conversations with Vardin after her mother told her to leave him alone. She pacified her self by saying that she was only still talking to Vardine to see what extra gifts she could squeeze out of him. - she broke the master pimp's rule and we see how that turned out for her.-mistake one

"Syrena's impatience would suffer her to wait no longer, and having enquir'd where Lord R-- lodged, for he kept no House in Town, drest herself in as alluring a manner as she could, and went to make him a Visit."- A direct violation of pimpin rule number two.

"she (ms. tricksy) told her that none but those who were not ashamed to be thought common, ever went to visit Men at their Lodgings"

Once again Syrena pacifies her mind with sloppy, childish notion. "she imagined that going to him in that manner, would give him a high Idea of the extreme Passion she had flatter'd him with, and that also it would make her seem to act without Disguise, and that she was too innocent even to know there was any indecency in what she did.

This quote from the narrator goes on to confirm the stubbornness and the naivety unfolding in Syrena that I previously suspected would be her downfall,"So all the Arguments Mrs. Tricksy made use of were to no purpose; the pert Baggage told her she was capable of managing now for herself, and would walk with Leading-Strings no longer." Syrena's hard head, I think, is going to bring an embarrassing end to the dynamic duo's pimpin reign.

(Sorry for the lack of page numbers but I ended up having to read the story off the internet.)

Is Syrena falling for the oke-doke???

Everyone knows from the first few pages of the story that Syrena was bred from birth to be a man eater, but as the plot rolls on I'm beginning to get the inkling that Syrena is not the machine her mother built her to be, and "mamma" feels the same.

"Dear child, I received your letters,and am very much surprised to find you have gone so far in a love intrigue, in such short a time:" (65)

Syrena is mind blown over the fact that her admirer watches her and offers her fine stockings. I think this story is going to end up showing that Syrena's mother's "gold digging" teachings have actually made Syrena naive and in too much of a rush to find love and riches. Syrena is falling for every line Vardine drops on her. I noticed that she begins to have some reservations about her mother's advice of not seeing him anymore.

"and that if I could once be brought to love him, he would make me a happy woman"(68)

"why then said she, must I be debarr'd from speaking to a man that loves me?" (71)

I think that Syrena is beginning to use the material things that she is offered as a way to continue rendezvousing with Vardine. "A little conversation with him sometimes would certainly instruct me better how to behave to the sex, than a thousand lessons-besides i might get some small presents from him." (71)

" I shall hear what he has to say and it may be managed so as to get something from him"(71)

I believe this direct defiance is a sign of Syrena's future tear from her mother's mind control, because for a minute wee see that she has some type of feelings for the man outside of his financial concerns. He tells her all these sweet things and how much he loves her and even gives her money. But as soon as she expects to receive the other portion of money from him he bounces. Not only does he bounce, he does it in such a way that says to me as a reader WOW!! Did he just play her like that??!! Then he sends a letter which may be true about him having to leave because of his position in the army but he will "renew" his acquaintance with her (82). I haven't finished reading the whole story yet but I know there's more to this than we see.

The Virtuous Syrena

I have to say that I am not even half way through Anti Pamela, but the first two pages have tickled me more than I expected. The story's first paragraph begins very blatantly with the line "Her mother, though in very mean , Circumstances, when she was born, flatter'd herself with great things, from the growing beauties of her sweet babe;"(53) The story is already showing the greed and conniving ways of the mother will be bred into Syrena with lines like, "Being therefore left entirely to the care of a parent, who had been a woman of intrigue." (53) With just these few lines I can see where this story is going, as far as being anti Pamela. I think that its very funny and very entertaining. The Virtues of Syrena are polar opposites of Pamela's virtues.

"The girl was not out of her bib and apron, before she instructed her in lessons, which she had the wicked satisfaction to find, her pupil knew not only how to observe , but also improve." (53) This is my favorite line so far! It seems as though this story could've been written in our era as comedic response to Pamela! If I were Richardson I'd be pissed off if someone paralleled my book in this fashion because it's honestly a little more entertaining. I think the intro of the characteristics of the women is genius. I don't know why the more sinister virtues appeal to me so much more than Pamela's "innocent" virtues. Maybe it's because I didn't fully believe in Pamela's innocence that makes this so much more acceptable, maybe I just don't believe that women of our time are so virtuous. I know times were different back then, but I can't help but to apply these stories to our time and things that I know. In fact at the time these stories were written I think that's what made them so popular; people applied them to their own lives. The authors succeeded in creating something that makes the readers pull characters and themes out of the book, rather than become a part of the book.

In the few pages I've read, I can tell that I'm going to enjoy this reading more than Pamela (sorry Richardson). I think that Richardson would have had to reverse the importance of the innocent and angelic virtues of Pamela to get the message across more thoroughly to our generation. The newer version would've been more like a pretty, sleazy, whorish woman has been sleeping with Mr. B while occupying the job of his servant. He likes it, she likes it. The day comes for him to choose a bride to be. He walks in the room, casually passes her, and proposes to the quiet, conserved, virgin woman next to her. This would be the 2009 version of anti Pamela. In my mind its just more believable than the perfect, virtuous angel Richardson created.

Pamela: Does she secretly love master and his money?

"I went up soon after, and new dress'd myself, taking possession, in a happy moment, I hope of my two bundles as my good master was pleased to call them ; and so put on fine Linen, silk shoes, and fine white cotton stockens, a fine quilted coat, a delicate green mantua silk gown and coat; A french Necklace, and a lac'd head, and handkerchief, and clean gloves;" (302-303)

She did thank God afterwards, but I'm puzzled about her materialism because she says she thanked God "for being able to put the dress on with so much comfort"(303)


Richardson was genius for the idea of using letters as the dialogue median in this novel. Doing so confuses readers as to what a novel is or what literary devices make a book a novel. I was confused about it myself until we spoke about it in class. Richardson definitely created a new genre of novel with this technique.


The character Pamela is very open with her parents in her letters. In fact she's too open, she explains too much about the way her master wants her. This made me wonder was she upholding this image of innocence to her parents, or was she gloating the fact that a man of status wanted her? Another incling I got was that she's secretly enjoying the measures her master is taking to capture her heart. I think of black slaves or servants who faced the same kinds of harassment and they pondered killing their master with acts like spitting in his milk, escaping, or some way of expressing a deep hatred for him. Pamela's account seems too lily and "ha ha haa, he wants to marry me but I'll resist him because I'm a perfect virgin with morals and virtues! I haven't finished the book yet, so I haven't come to a definite conclusion but these are some of the thoughts I had while reading.


Richardson is silently injecting lots of morals into the story so far, with issues of Pamela supposedly being a simple, modest, virgin, who doesn't need materialistic things but she's indulged in finer clothing, and happy when master buys her or her family material things. This again makes me think she's enjoying the chase of her master a little too much. At times seems as if she's wondering how far will he go to please her. I'll have to finish the book to figure it out though.