Which title corresponds to Richardson's epistolary novel that centers on virtue and social restraint?

• A. Pamela; or Virtue Rewarded
• B. Clarissa
• C. Moll Flanders
• D. Tom Jones

Answer: (A)

Focus on how the work presents virtue within social expectations. Pamela; or Virtue Rewarded is Samuel Richardson’s early epistolary novel that follows a young maid who stands by her moral principles as she navigates the pressures of class, gender, and a powerful suitor. The form—letters written by Pamela and others around her—renders virtue through intimate, first-person testimony, letting readers witness her self-control and prudent judgment in situations designed to test her modesty.

The subtitle makes the aim explicit: virtue is not just admired, it is recognized and rewarded within the social order, typically through a marriage that affirms her virtue and restores her social standing. This foregrounding of virtue under social constraints is the hallmark of Pamela and is what sets it apart from the other titles listed, which, while they may engage with virtue, emphasize different tensions or narrative centers.