Which 18th-century British novelist wrote 'Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'?

The 18th-century British novelist who wrote Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded was Samuel Richardson.

Published in 1740, Pamela is an epistolary novel told primarily through letters written by Pamela Andrews, a young maidservant. Her employer, Mr. B, repeatedly pressures and assaults her, while Pamela tries to protect her virtue, maintain contact with her parents, and control the story through her writing. The novel's subtitle reflects its moral and conduct-book framework, though modern readers often view its treatment of coercion and marriage far more critically.

Richardson was a printer and publisher before becoming a novelist. He originally began Pamela after booksellers asked him to prepare a collection of model letters; the project gradually became a sustained narrative. The book was enormously popular and helped establish the English novel's interest in private consciousness, everyday life, and individual moral choices. It also provoked satire, most famously Henry Fielding's Shamela. Richardson later wrote Clarissa and The History of Sir Charles Grandison.