Striving hero/in/es:
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
and The Adventures of
Roderick Random
Spring 2009, Tuesday 12-14, Phil 006a
Fulfils BA5, BA6 or BA7 requirements
Erzsi Kukorelly
Office hour Tuesday 14.15-15.15 CO 209
elizabeth.kukorelly@unige.ch Tel. 078.727.2268
Texts:
i. Samuel Richardson. Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740). Oxford World’s Classics edition.
ii. Tobias Smollett. The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748). Oxford World’s Classics edition.
iii. A selection of texts from John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Second Treatise of Civil
Government. These will be made available for photocopying on the library reserve shelf. Should pages be missing,
please advise me soonest.
Participation:
Active participation is required from all students. Although not formally graded, in-class participation, enthusiasm
and good preparation for class may be taken into consideration when giving grades, either for papers or for exams,
as well as when giving attestations.
During class, your book is open on the desk, and bears the marks of interactive reading. You are prepared to take
risks and you contribute to but do not dominate the discussion. Although you listen to your colleagues and your
teacher with due respect, sincere and politely expressed disagreement is encouraged.
Attendance:
If you miss more than 2 seminar sessions without valid excuse (medical certificate), you will not receive credit for
this seminar.
Plagiarism:
This institution will not tolerate plagiarism, which is a crime. The statement on plagiarism is available on the
department website.
Formal requirements:
a. All participants must give an oral report – modalities will be communicated during the first few weeks of class.
b. An essay, either graded or ungraded, depending on your modular requirements; see website for modalities and
deadlines (all written work must comply with the guidelines laid down in the departmental Style Sheet. If you have
any doubts, consult me or one of the writing lab monitors) OR
c. An exam; see website for modalities and deadlines.
**STUDENTS MUST GET IN TOUCH WITH ME TO DISCUSS ALL PROJECTS BEFORE BEGINNING WORK.**
Seminar Goals:
a. To become familiar with some aspects of the early English novel as an emergent genre.
b. To become familiar with some aspects of philosophical and political individualism as an analytical framework.
c. To understand the importance of historicization in textual analysis.
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Schedule of reading:
Class 1 – 17/02/2009
INTRODUCTION
Class 2 – 24/02/2009
Pamela, up to page 91 (end of letter XXXI, together with verses) and Locke, Second Treatise “Of Property”
a. What can you say about the title page and the preface?
b. How do you feel about Pamela and her motivations?
c. How much freedom does Pamela have? What sort of freedom?
d. Consider the effect of “writing to the moment” (i.e. immediately after the events recounted).
Class 3 – 03/03/2009
Pamela, up to page 169 (end of Wednesday) and Locke, Second Treatise “Of the Extent of the Legislative Power”
and “Of Tyranny”
a. Consider the departure scene (pp. 99-102). How does this function as a model for reading the novel?
b. There are a number of references to property, duty, will, command, lawfulness / lawlessness. Consider these with
respect to what you have read in Locke’s Second Treatise.
c. Consider the words that Mr. B uses to describe Pamela in his letter to Mrs. Jewkes (162-163).
Class 4 – 10/03/2009
Pamela, up to page 259 (end of Tuesday) and Locke, Second Treatise “Of the Dissolution of Government”
a. How hard does Pamela try to get out of Mr. B’s power?
b. On p. 185 Mrs. Jewkes claims that Pamela is ‘as slippery as an Eel’. How can we interpret this simile?
c. How does Mr. B’s attitude towards Pamela change? Why?
Class 5 – 17/03/2009
Pamela, up to p. 299 and Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding “Of Power”
a. Why does Pamela go back to Mr. B? Consider with respect to Locke’s theories about will, volition, liberty and
necessity, and with respect to his definition of a “free agent” (§ 50).
b. “Uneasiness determines the will” (§ 31 and forward), claims Locke. How do you relate this to what you have read
of Pamela so far?
c. “The power to suspend the prosecution of any desire, makes way for consideration” writes Locke (§ 47). What
does this mean? for someone like Pamela? for you?
d. “Morality, established upon its true foundations, cannot but determine the choice in anyone” writes Locke (§ 70).
Does this apply to Pamela and her choices?
e. “I have no Will but yours” gushes Pamela to Mr. B (p. 276). Consider this with respect to what you have read in
Locke’s chapter “Of Power”.
Class 6 – 24/03/2009
Pamela, up to p. 415 (end “real” Tuesday – there is an error in naming of days, see note to page 415).
a. What does Mr. Andrews’s visit bring to the novel?
b. What can you say about Pamela’s rewriting of psalm 132 (pp. 317-319)? Link with the inclusion of other psalms
and the choice of scripture for the church service.
c. Consider Pamela’s feelings about her marriage, before, during and immediately after the service.
d. What is the effect of Pamela’s confrontation with Lady Davers?
Class 7 – 31/03/2009
Pamela, up to p. 503 (end of novel)
a. What is the effect of Lady Davers’s reconciliation with Pamela? What does this sequence do for a social reading
of the novel? For our reading of the B marriage?
b. Compare Mr. B’s injunctions to Pamela (pp. 448-451) with his proposals to her earlier in the novel (pp. 188-192)
from the perspective of contents, typography and a philosophy of the self. Take into consideration Mr. B’s thoughts
on marriage (pp. 367-374)
c. Consider the appendix (pp. 500-503). What is the effect on the novel’s intended function? Look back to the
preface.
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Class 8 – 07/04/2009
Roderick – up to p. 85, including “Preface” and “Apologue” (end chapter XVI).
a. How do the prefatory paratexts differ from those included in Pamela?
b. What differences are there between Roderick’s self-writing and Pamela’s?
c. On p. 1 Roderick refers to himself as “a tennis-ball”. We have met this term metaphorically in Pamela and literally
in Locke’s Essay (“Of Power”). What can you say about this?
d. What can you say about Roderick’s origins, his family? How do these compare to Pamela’s?
e. Roderick is on the move. Consider his motivations, his choices. How do they relate to what you read in Locke’s
Essay “Of Power”?
f. What can you say about verisimilutde? Burlesque / grotesque? Sentiment? Compare to Pamela.
Class 9 – 21/04/2009
Roderick – up to p. 189 (end chapter XXXIII) and Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, “Of Identity and
Diversity”.
a. What is the effect of London on the protagonist and his companion?
b. What can you say about Roderick’s professional opportunities and choices (including marriage…)? Compare
these to Pamela’s.
c. Think about Miss Williams’s story. How does it relate to the main narrative?
d. On board the ship, what motivates human relations? Does this differ from relations on land? What is the effect of
being on board for narrative space? How does this affect human relations?
e. Consider the relation between “history” and “story”. How does the author use historical event?
Class 10 – 28/04/2009
Roderick – up to p. 278 (end chapter XLVI)
a. What can you say about captain Whiffle? (pp. 194-199)
b. Consider instances of tyranny on board the ship.
c. To what extent has Roderick’s trajectory been directed by will and volition, or necessity and compulsion? (Look
back to Locke’s Essay, “Of Power”).
d. Consider reading and education in the novel, from both gender and status perspectives. How does this compare
to Pamela?
Class 11 – 05/05/2009
Roderick – up to p. 366 (end ch. LIX)
a. Consider Roderick’s changing fortunes. Try to analyse them with respect to Locke’s considerations about choice
in the Essay, “Of Power”, sections § 50-64.
b. What is the effect of status on Roderick’s continuing adventures? of money? of love? of expectations?
c. The issue of seeming vs. being is very important in Roderick Random. Try to think of some examples, from this
week’s reading and elsewhere. Where does this issue seem to be most prevalent? Why?
Class 12 – 12/05/2009
Roderick – up to p. 435 (end of the novel)
a. What is the role of gaming in the novel?
b. Consider the function of inserted letters in the novel.
c. How do you react to the fact that Roderick is a slaver? Do some research into the slave trade in the middle years
of the eighteenth century. How does slavery link in to the general theme of the seminar?
d. What do you think about the end of the novel? Does it serve to re-establish social order? Private vengeance?
Individual striving?
Class 13 – 19/05/2009
CONCLUSION
Pamela vs. Roderick: which fictional character does the most to advance their life?
Pamela vs. Roderick: which novel promotes individual striving the most effectively? consider from the perspective of
form and contents.