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Richardson, Samuel 
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Richardson, Samuel (1689-1761), English novelist, born in
Derbyshire. He was apprenticed to a printer in his youth and later set up his own printing
shop in London. Richardson became known as a gifted letter writer, and in 1739 he began to
write a volume of model letters for the use of the country reader that appeared as Familiar
Letters (1741). While engaged in writing the form letters he also wrote and published
the celebrated novel Pamela; or Virtue Rewarded (2 volumes, 1740), telling, in the
form of letters, the story of a young maid-servant's defense of her honor. Clarissa; or
the History of a Young Lady (7 volumes, 1747-1748), which explores and reexplores the
same events from the points of view of several of the characters, is considered his best
work. Like Pamela, it was praised for its lofty moral tone, sentimentality, and
understanding of emotions and the feminine mind. His last important work was The
History of Sir Charles Grandison (7 volumes, 1753-1754), in which he presented his
ideal of a true Christian gentleman.
All of Richardson's novels are in
epistolary form (a series of letters)—a structure that he refined and developed. For
this reason, Richardson is considered a founder of the English modern novel.
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