Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady
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Product Description
Product Description
How Clarissa, in resisting parental pressure to marry a loathsome man for his money, falls prety to Lovelace, is raped and dies, is the bare outline of a story that blossomed in all directions under Richardson's hands. He was, self-confessedly and happily, 'a poor pruner.' Written in letters, the novel contains all the urgency and tension of personal communications set down 'to the moment, ' compelling our confidence but also our distrust. Its rich ambiguities - our sense of Clarissa's scrupulous virtue tinged with intimations of her capacity for self-deception in matters of sex; the wicked and amusing faces of Lovelace, who must be easily the most charming villain in English literature - give the story extraordinary psychological momentum. In that fatally attracted pair, Richardson created lovers that haunt the imagination as Romeo and Juleit do, or Tristan and Osolde.
About the Author
Samuel Richardson (1689 - 1761) was born in Derbyshire, the son of a joiner. He received little formal education and in 1706 was apprenticed to a printer in London. Thirteen years later he set himself up as a stationer and printer and became of the leading figures in the trade. He printed political material, newspapers and literature. He began writing Pamela as a result of a suggestion from friends that he should compile a book of model letters for use by unskilled writers. Pamela was a great success and went on to write Clarissa, one of the masterpieces of European literature.
Angus Ross is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Sussex. He writes on eighteenth-century and other literature and has edited Swift as well as a number of anthologies.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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First Sentence
I am extremely concerned, my dearest friend, for the disturbances that have happened in your family. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I am extremely concerned, my dearest friend, for the disturbances that have happened in your family. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Once you've read this book, you can barely read anything written in England post-1750 without finding and feeling Richardson's influence. An English epic, a sometimes infuriatingly detailed exploration of men and women under pressure, a masterfully crafted depiction of bewilderment, betrayal, and the kind of religious ecstasy that's difficult to read. Don't miss Letter 246. Stay with this book, even if it takes you weeks (it took me 7)--it's well worth it, a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On first seeing this novel one is intially amazed at its length. This may be disconcerting at first, but it undoubtedly adds to the richness of the work;which is full of conflict, drama, beautifully written (and convincing dialogue)and of course well delineated characters. The characters are in fact so well delineated they eventually assume a life of their own, and seem to act out their roles almost independant of their creator. This is a splendid example of how effective the epistolary form could be, in moments of tension and inner conflict. Richardson probes his characters minds until the reader knows them inside out. A powerful and tragic work it deeply influenced succsessive authors well into the 19th century, and can still do so today
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I just thought i'd point out to other buyers that the edition shown here is not in fact the whole book - it's abridged which i don't think is made clear. i only found out when i ordered it having read a library copy of the non abridged version which i can't recommend enough!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
World Classic, Yes
This novel ought to be read by everyone, particularly by every girl reaching puberty and every woman who is still single. Read more
Published 12 months ago by G. Charles Steiner
Read it
This edition is the complete unabridged text of the first edition, with a useful though short introduction and notes. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Marcus
Clarissa
I ordered this book for my daughter who's doing her PhD. She was very happy to receive it.
Published on 7 Feb 2009 by Mrs. Frances G. Chadwick
I wish it were longer!
What an epic novel. Thoroughly engrossing from the first letter of Anna Howe to Clarissa Harlowe until the conclusion penned by the reformed Jack Belford, I loved every minute of... Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2007 by Great Scot
Stick with it, it's worth it!
This copy is the abridged version but it is well worth reading the full text - if you don't enjoy it at least you can feel proud that you've read a book bigger than 'War and... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2006 by J. Ormond
Perhaps inadvertent feminist classic
Well, I've just finished all 1499 pages of the unabridged version (ISBN 0-140-43215-9) based upon the first edition and not by any means the longest. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2006 by J. I. De Beresford
Caveat before tackling this great but weighty novel
I have to confess to reading this novel partly out of guilt, since I kept coming across references to it elsewhere. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2000 by Klytemnestra
A perceptive account of a young girl's unwilling corruption
This is a stupendous book, both in size and in scope.Richardson is a master of the epistolary genre, and readers have been uneasily navigating Clarissa's self-perpetuated... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 1998
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