Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady

Uncommon card · No. 198892

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life. And Particularly Shewing, the Distresses that May Attend the Misconduct Both of Parents and Children, In Relation to Marriage is an epistolary novel by English writer Samuel Richardson, published in 1748. The novel tells the tragic story of a young woman, Clarissa Harlowe, whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family. The Harlowes are a nouveau riche family whose preoccupation with increasing their standing in society leads to obsessive control of their daughter, Clarissa. Many versions of the book exist, because Samuel Richardson rewrote the novel several times and he had it republished with the revisions. It is considered one of the longest novels in the English language (based on estimated word count). It is generally regarded as Richardson's masterpiece. In 2015, the BBC ranked Clarissa 14th on its list of the 100 greatest British novels. In 2013, The Guardian included...

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