Clarissa

Clarissa, or, The History of a Young Lady
Author	Samuel Richardson
Country	Britain
Language	English
Genre(s)	Epistolary novel
Publication date	1748
Media type	Print

Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1748. It tells the tragic story of a heroine whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family, and is one of the longest novels in the English language.

Plot summary

Clarissa Harlowe, the tragic heroine of Clarissa, is the extremely beautiful and virtuous young lady whose family has become very wealthy only in recent years and is now eager to become part of the aristocracy by acquiring estates and titles through advantageous pairings.

After Clarissa's grandfather's death, she inherits a substantial sum of money. Her family, noticing that this lady could be their way to entering aristocratic society, attempt to force her to marry a rich but highly uncultured and unrefined man (Roger Solmes) against her will and, more importantly, against her own sense of virtue.

Desperate to remain free, she is tricked by a young gentleman of her acquaintance, Lovelace, into escaping with him. Joseph Lehman, the Harlowes' servant, shouts and makes noise so it may seem like the family has awoken and they have discovered that Clarissa and Lovelace are about to run away. Scared of the aftermath, Clarissa goes with Lovelace. Clarissa remains Lovelace's prisoner for many months. She is kept at many lodgings, and even a brothel where the women are disguised as high-status ladies by Lovelace himself. However, she refuses to marry him on many occasions, longing — unusually for a girl in her time — to live by herself in peace. She eventually runs away but is discovered by Lovelace and is tricked into going back to the brothel.

Lovelace, who means to marry Clarissa in order to avenge the treatment begot to him by the Harlowe family, wants to possess Clarissa's body as well as her mind. He believes that if she does not have her virtue anymore, she will be forced to marry him on any terms. However, as he is more and more impressed by Clarissa, he finds it difficult to keep convincing himself that truly virtuous women do not exist.

The continuous pressure he finds himself under, combined with his growing passion for Clarissa, drives him to extremes and eventually he rapes her by drugging her. Through this action, Clarissa must accept and marry Lovelace. It is suspected that Mrs. Sinclair (the brothel manager) and the other prostitutes assist Lovelace during the rape.

The villain, Robert Lovelace, abducting Clarissa Harlowe

However, Lovelace's action backfires and Clarissa is even more adamant on not marrying a vile and corrupt individual like Lovelace. Eventually, Clarissa manages to escape from the brothel, but becomes dangerously ill due to the mental duress she has been under for so many months at the hands of "the vile Lovelace."

Clarissa is sheltered by the kind but poor Smiths and during her sickness she gains another worshipper - John Belford, another libertine who happens to be Lovelace's best friend. Belford is amazed at the way Clarissa handles her approaching death and laments over what Lovelace has done. In one of the many letters sent to Lovelace he writes that "if the divine Clarissa asks me to slit thy throat, Lovelace, I shall do it in an instance."

Eventually, surrounded by strangers and Col. Morden, Clarissa dies in the full consciousness of her own virtue, and trusting in a better life after death.

Belford becomes the individual who manages Clarissa's will and ensures that all her articles and money go into the hands of the individuals she desires should receive them after her death.

Lovelace seems to have moved on but Belford sends him Clarissa's will. He is shattered when he reads it and can live no longer. Col. Morden has gone back to Italy and he knows that there is only one way to atone for his sins. Lovelace asks Morden for a duel (although not directly) and they meet somewhere in Italy. Lovelace fights Morden and keeps on getting injured. He pretends to be not injured and goes after Morden multiple times - each time receiving another deadly blow. Eventually, Morden realizes that he has been injured very badly and might die. The duel ends, Morden leaves and Lovelace is taken to his lodgings. The doctor is unable to do anything and Lovelace dies a day afterwards. But, before dying, he says this: "LET THIS EXPIATE!"

Clarissa's relatives finally realise the misery they have caused, but discover that they are too late and Clarissa has already died. The book ends with an account of the fate of the other characters.

Characters

• Miss Clarissa Harlowe: title character
• James Harlowe, Sr.: Clarissa's father
• Lady Charlotte Harlowe: Clarissa's mother
• James Harlowe, Jr.: Clarissa's brother, bitter enemy of Robert Lovelace's
• Miss Arabella Harlowe: Clarissa's older sister
• John Harlowe: Clarissa's uncle (her father's elder brother)
• Antony Harlowe: Clarissa's uncle (her father's younger brother)
• Roger Solmes: a wealthy man whom Clarissa's parents wish her to marry
• Mrs. Hervey: Clarissa's mother (Lady Charlotte Harlowe)'s half-sister
• Dolly Hervey: daughter of Mrs. Hervey
• Mrs. Norton: Clarissa's nurse, an unhappy widow
• Colonel Morden: a man of fortune, closely related to the Harlowe family
• Miss Howe: Clarissa's best friend and companion
• Mrs. Howe: the mother of Miss Howe
• Mr. Hickman: Miss Howe's suitor
• Dr. Lewin: one of Clarissa's educators, a divine of great piety and learning
• Dr. H: a physician
• Mr. Elias Brand: young clergyman
• Robert Lovelace: the villain and pursuer of Clarissa
• John Belford: a close friend of Mr. Lovelace
• Lord M.: Mr. Lovelace's uncle
• Lady Sarah Sadleir: half-sister of Lord M., widow, lady of honour and fortune
• Lady Betty Lawrance: half-sister of Lord M., widow, lady of honour and fortune
• Miss Charlotte: niece of Lord M., maiden lady of character
• Patty Montague: niece of Lord M., maiden lady of character
• Richard Mowbray: libertine, gentleman, companions of Mr. Lovelace
• Thomas Doleman: libertine, gentleman, companions of Mr. Lovelace
• James Tourville: libertine, gentleman, companions of Mr. Lovelace
• Thomas Belton: libertine, gentleman, companions of Mr. Lovelace
• Capt. Tomlinson: the assume named of a pander that aids Mr. Lovelace
• Mrs. Moore: a widowed gentlewoman, keeping a lodging-house at Hampstead
• Miss Rawlins: a notable young gentlewoman in Hampstead
• Mrs. Bevis: a lively widow in Hampstead
• Mrs. Sinclair: the pretended name of a private brothel keeper in London
• Sally Martin: assistant of, and partner with, Mrs. Sinclair
• Polly Horton: assistant of, and partner with, Mrs. Sinclair
• Joseph Leman: servant
• William Summers: servant
• Hannan Burton: servant
• Betty Barnes: servant
• Dorcas Wykes: servant

Television adaptations

The BBC adapted the novel as a television series in 1991, starring Sean Bean and Saskia Wickham.

See also

• Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
• Sir Charles Grandison
• Eneas Sweetland Dallas (editor of a well-known 1868 abridged version of Clarissa.)

External links

• Clarissa (1991) at the Internet Movie Database
• Japanese translation
• Clarissa at Project Gutenberg

• A version currently in print ISBN 0140432159