PAMELA His first novel “Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded” Samuel Richardson published when he was already over fifty. Behind were hard times: Richardson survived death of his wife and five sons. And although his second wife gave him four daughters, he did not have a heir, who could continue his work. “Pamela” immediately became one of the most popular works of that time. The protagonist is a servant who staunchly opposes the attempts of the young master to seduce her but later still marries him. By the way, Pamela gave birth to seven children.