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.