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Personification
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
Pamela is set in England, almost exclusively at Mr. B.'s Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire estates. Pamela receives a handful of letters from her parents, but the bulk of the novel is made up of letters and journal entries she writes while living at these two estates. While at first she is happy to be living in Mr. B.'s house (she served his mother until the older woman died and by all accounts had a positive relationship with her), it soon becomes clear that Pamela is not allowed to leave. Even an early attempt to move to Lady Davers's house, so that she can serve Mr. B.'s sister, is thwarted. Pamela's escape attempts grow more dramatic as the novel progresses, but every time Mr. B. finds a way to stop her. She always ends up back in one of his houses, writing about what happened.
In the second half of the novel, Pamela and Mr. B. reconcile and decide to get married. At this point, Pamela begins reporting a few more excursions outside the house (still in the immediate vicinity of the estates). Once again, though, the fact that she is writing always means she is back inside. The narrow setting of the novel emphasizes that as a young woman in 18th-century England, Pamela does not have much leeway. She must behave according to very strict standards. Ironically, staying put turns out to be the most desirable outcome she can hope for. She starts out trapped in Mr. B.'s house against her will and ends up happily bound to his house as his wife. Even if this position is restrictive, the alternative seems to be disgraced exile to Jamaica, which is the fate Sally Godfrey endures as a result of the liberties she takes with Mr. B. If Pamela wants to climb the social ladder in England, she must "stay in her lane" both metaphorically and physically.
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