Literature Help: Clarissa

By Students' Academy

As the novel opens, Clarissa happens to be eighteen years old. She is very beautiful and universally admired and loved. People give her example to show what a woman ought to be like. She is an exemplary woman in the society.

Clarissa Harlowe comes from an up-and-coming family. Although the family possesses a great wealth, the status is still not high.

Literature Help: Clarissa
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: Sep 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310126321

Students' Academy

Easy study guides for the students of English literature.

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Literature Help: Clarissa

Students' Academy

Copyright

Literature Help: Clarissa

Students’ Academy

Copyright@2014 Students’ Academy

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Chapter One: Introduction

Clarissa by Samuel Richardson was first published in 1784. It is often titled as The History of a Young Lady.

It is one of the most widely read epistolary novel written by Samuel Richardson. The highly tragic story revolves around a heroine who wants to seek virtue; however, her quest is constantly thwarted by the members of her family.

Clarissa is one of the longest novels ever written in the English language. Although the book was first published about three hundred years ago, the book still retains its charisma over readers, critics, and literary scholars.

Before it was published as a book, Clarissa was released as a series. Its first two volumes were first published in 1747. By the end of 1748 all seven volumes had been published to complete the series.

The book was highly acclaimed when it was first published and the author was highly admired by the scholars, reviewers, and critics, but the author was not very pleased with some aspects of the book’s reception.

Before the author published the last volumes of the series, he received thousands of letters from his readers. All his readers begged the author for a happy ending. Richardson was obviously in a dilemma because he had meant it to be a tragic novel.

Despite being showered with requests from the readers asking for a happy ending, the author stuck to his tragic plan.

One of the