More intent than ever to make clarissa his wife, lovelace is called away to attend his dying uncle from whom he is expecting to inherit an earldom The harlowes are a recently wealthy family whose preoccupation with increasing their standing in society leads to obsessive control of their daughter, clarissa. And yet, clarissa finds his charm alluring, her scrupulous sense of virtue tinged with unconfessed desire
Told through a complex series of interweaving letters, clarissa is a richly ambiguous study of a fatally attracted couple and a work of astonishing power and immediacy. It tells the tragic story of a young woman, clarissa harlowe, whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family Clarissa tells the story of a virtuous, beautiful young woman who is brought to tragedy by the wickedness of her world
First printed the cautionary tale in 1748 in a series of eight volumes. Clarissa harlowe, the tragic heroine of clarissa, is a 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. The link at the bottom of this page will take you to the full text in 8 volumes. Despite her chastity being compromised, clarissa maintains her honor by not yielding her will.
