I liked this one though I didn’t necessarily like the character of Syrena. I found it amusing, as good satires should be, and I found that the plot was interesting and different enough from Pamela that I wasn’t plagued with wanting to find answers for the aspersions cast against Pamela. Yes I confess that when I like a character I have a tendacy to try and defend anything bad said against them if possible which can lead to issues when reading satires.
As we said in class, Anti-Pamela really only needs a new name in order to be a stand alone novel. It would be in the amatory style and still retain satiric elements perhaps but it could easily be read and enjoyed without ever reading Pamela. Where we know Haywood was trying to capitolize on the phenonema of Pamela it’s even possible that Haywood already had a story in mind and just decided to add a few allusions to Pamela to sell more copies. The issues which she raises against Pamela are issues which she had raised before in other original works. The idea that drinking is the route of all evil or at least of ruin is even referenced in one of the footnotes about the ruin of a chambermaid. The issue she raises of how frivolous Pamela is can be found in a pamphlet on conduct for female servants included in the appendixes. While I dont doubt that Haywood had issues with Pamela it is interesting to wonder if the satire got away from her to become a stand alone novel or if she added satirical aspects to a stand alone novel
Either way I enjoyed it and can enjoy it alongwith Pamela.
