Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded is the first novel published by Samuel Richardson in 1740 (Doody). The story centers around the young protagonist Pamela who becomes the servant of a Mr. B, her preivous lady's son after her death. Mr B. becomes infatuated with Pamela and attempts to seduce her multiple times despite her resistance. Pamela tries to escape multiple times but is unsucessful. Eventually Mr. B sexually assaults Pamela and after proposes to her afterwards. While she initially refuses Pamela realizes that the is in love with Mr. B and accepts despite the class difference between them. 

Pamela received its fair share of critisim upon its publication with many critising its explicit sexual themes (Doody). However, despite this critisim Pamela would be immensly popular becoming "perhaps the first 'best-seller'" (Doody). Through Pamela, Richardson would greatly popularize the epistolary genre and would go on to write two more epistorlary novels. In addition, this novel was published far before Susannag Gunning's epistolary novel Barford Abbey. As such, Pamela would have influenced Gunning's style especially with the central conflicts of class difference and marriage playing a big role in both works.  (188 words) 

Doody, Margaret. “An Introduction to Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.” The British Library, The British Library, 18 May 2018, www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/an-introduction-t....