In early 18th century British novels, virtue was the core theme, typically referring to positive qualities that were opposed to bad habits. Richardson's "Pamela" specifically refers to virtue as chastity in sexual morality, in order to construct a narrative and moral perspective. Critics highly praise 'Pamela' as a representative of religion and middle-class values. Ian Watt believes that the narrowing of virtues aims to convey the concept of controlling desires and provide a model for middle-class marriage. However, Watt's viewpoint overlooks the intertextual relationship between Pamela and other 18th century literary works, which is crucial for understanding the essence of virtue discourse and the masking of female sexual expression at that time.

1、 The confrontation between Pamela and erotic novels

The chapter on the confrontation between Pamela and erotic novels explores Richardson's intention in depicting lust in the novel, aiming to attract young readers through lust and demonstrate that lust can be guided towards virtue. Richardson engages in a dialogue between "Pamela" and erotic novels, both depicting lust but with different purposes. Erotic novels such as "Love Letters of the Wealthy Brothers and Sisters" stimulate female desire through provocative language, while "Pamela" stimulates desire through physical contact, but Pamela always resists temptation and maintains chastity. The female protagonists in erotic novels pursue sexual pleasure, reflecting the promiscuous atmosphere of the upper class society in England at that time, while Pamela portrays female characters who do not pursue sexual pleasure, opposing erotic novels and attempting to improve social norms.

2、 Pamela and its parodies

Pamela "was one of the best-selling novels of the 18th century, which sparked numerous imitations, sequels, and parodies after its publication. Among them, Fielding's "Shamela," Heywood's "Anti Pamela," and Cleveland's "Memoirs" are three important parodies. These works question the authenticity of the virtue discourse in Pamela and, through subversive imitation, expose and restore the hidden sexual pleasure in Pamela. The female characters in parodies become seducers, while men become objects of temptation, revealing that "virtue" is an exchangeable commodity under economic attributes. Through a dual narrative structure, "Shamela" and "Anti Pamela" showcase the impulse of women to pursue sexual pleasure in economic hardship. And "Memoirs" completely subverted the subject object relationship of desire in "Pamela", shaping a female desire subject who experiences sexual pleasure as her life experience. The ideological foundation of these parodies is empirical philosophy, which holds that sensory experience is the fundamental way for humans to understand the world, and that women's pursuit of sexual pleasure is uncontrollable. This cognition corresponds to the general understanding of female sexuality in the 17th and early 18th centuries, reflecting the societal perception of female sexuality at that time. The difference between parodies and Richardson's discourse of virtue lies in their presentation of different 'realities', namely the pursuit of sexual pleasure by women and the projection of male desire.

3、 Pamela's Response to Women's Behavior Guidelines

The passage of the Hardwicke Marriage Act in 1753 marked a revolutionary change in the marriage system in England. The act aimed to regulate marriage, restrict secret marriages, and ensure the legality of marriage. As a novel, Pamela's narrative ending echoes the spirit of the law, emphasizing that love activities should take place within a legal marriage. The novel stands in stark contrast to the popular erotic novels of the time, which explored illegal love activities outside of marriage. This opposition between legality and illegality reflects Pamela's emphasis on the social "truth" of human beings, that is, women should maintain chastity in order to enter marriage smoothly.

4、 Conclusion

Through intertextual relationships with erotic novels, parodies, and female guides, "Pamela" portrays the opposition between the images of virtuous women and sexually pleasurable women, as well as the struggle between virtue and sexual pleasure discourse. The author responded to the opening question and made revisions and additions to Watt's viewpoint. Virtue primarily regulates female desires, rather than between men and women. The special manifestation of sexual pleasure at that time was "sexual pleasure", and the historical context behind it included female promiscuity, empirical philosophy, and novels as communication media. Richardson sacrificed women's subjectivity in sexual pleasure by constructing a discourse of virtue, leading to women being seen as passive and lacking in sexual desire in the late 18th century. This concept influenced the tradition of British romance novels until Lawrence's works in the early 20th century re explored female sexuality.