The novels of Samuel Richardson can be demanding for the student today because of their focus on virtue, their embodiment of eighteenth-century social conventions, and their sheer length. Although the critical scholarship on Richardson is thriving, there is little work on teaching his novels. This volume in the Approaches to Teaching series turns the challenges of his novels into opportunities for inventive pedagogy. Part 1, "Materials," surveys available editions of Richardson's works, including his letters and published commentary; evaluates background materials, from his prefaces for the various editions of Pamela to parodies and dramatic renditions of his novels; and reviews biographies, critical studies, background reading on eighteenth-century literature, and Web resources. A survey of experienced instructors identifies successful assignments for both undergraduate and graduate students, including some designed to help students understand the shifting viewpoints of the epistolary novel. Part 2, "Approaches," is divided into four sections, one on the background of Richardson's novels and one each on Clarissa, Pamela, and Sir Charles Grandison. Contributors suggest ways to teach these lengthy novels in a variety of courses, including surveys. Essays explore the meaning of religion to Richardson's characters and to his contemporaries; discuss how his work as a printer influenced the physical appearance of his novels; show how to engage students in the debates about feminism and patriarchal ideology in the novels; and consider why Richardson revised so extensively and how his revisions both responded to and affected his reception.

Classroom exercises use the Web to compare online editions of Richardson's novels and to create interactive versions of them.