The basic framework of the book follows an established form: a coming-of-age tale in which the protagonist undergoes various trials associated with growing up (and typically ending in marriage). Other examples include Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740), which tells the story of a working-class girl who resists the advances of a rich suitor until he mends his ways and proposes to her; and Henry Fielding’s The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749), the story of another orphan who must find his way to happiness despite the obstacles created by his status as a bastard.
