Clarissa: Q1 (Letters 1-99)

[Patrick]

Well done for having made it thus far! 99 letters down, 438 to go… On the bright side, the average number of pages per letter is smaller for here on end. Further, there is only one very long letter left (well, it’s the longest, Letter 233). Below are some questions I concocted as best I could (there aren’t many to be found online…).

[Patrick]

Some interesting words I have picked up:

Animadvert: to pass criticism or censure on; to speak out against.
Pervicacy: the state or quality of being obstinate
Termagant: a harsh-tempered or overbearing woman
Punctilio: a fine or petty point of conduct or procedure

Any others you might want to add to this list?

[Patrick]

1. In Letter 46, Anna Howe emits the following opinion on men: “Only that all men are monkeys more or less, or else that you and I should such baboons as these [Solmes, Lovelace, Hickman] as these to choose out of is a mortifying thing, my dear.” Do you consider that she is a bit too harsh in her assessment (based on that small sample) or that she and Clarissa place too much emphasis on virtue as the most important “decision factor” to arrest their choice of men?

2. In Clarissa’s letters to Anna Howe, extracts from letters to and from Lovelace are often included. Would it have been preferable for Richardson to include the Lovelace correspondence directly in the novel? Is there anything that might be missed or hidden in this correspondence that could reveal more about both Lovelace and Clarissa?

3. It is clear at this point that James and Arabella were the architects of Clarissa’s torments and situation. How have they managed to corral the support of their father and mother, their uncles and aunts? Is Mr Solmes solely a plaything in their hands? Can you think of a way or situation in which Clarissa can effect a change of mind from her parents and relatives, despite her new situation?

4. In this first section of 99 letters, there are several moments where Clarissa’s opinion of Lovelace is affected by events, words or deeds. Considering that on balance Lovelace is so far on the wicked side of morality, is it fair to say that Clarissa might be easily influenced and a little bit naïve?

5. What are Robert Lovelace’s redeeming qualities, if any?

6. Of Robert Lovelace, Joseph Leman and James Harlowe jr. (aka the brother), who is displaying the worst character so far?

7. The Penguin Classics edition omits a certain number of letters. In this first quarter, letters 43, 66 and 67 are skipped. For those who are reading another edition containing these letters, do you feel that they were essential to the story? Otherwise, are there any other letters that could have been omitted?

[Amanda]

Not even sure which letter I'm on exactly (my edition restarts the numbers after each section they've divided it into, which is annoying) but I'm over 20% done so figure I'm in this range.

1) While it is a bit of a harsh generalization, I actually don't think she is either biased or unreasonably concerned with virtue by saying it, at least to my modern reader perspective. When I consider how the average aristocratic man would have been socialized in the 18th century- libertine or not- with regards to entitlement to women, obsession with their own reputation (which involved duel culture at the time), entitlement in general as aristocrats in Stuart restoration, etc I would probably find the majority of them awful too, and it wouldn't surprise me to find enough women were fully aware of it.

2) This part I'm honestly a little torn on. On one hand, it takes me out of the immersion of it a little bit as what feels like an attempt to overcome the limitations of the form the author chose himself. Would someone really hand copy all of those long letters word for word to send to their friend and not just paraphrase the important bits? But on the other hand, maybe someone like Clarissa at that time would have because there is much less to do with her abundant time and it does give a more clear version of what Lovelace has said to her. I almost wonder if it would have been more effective to just have Clarissa paraphrase him so that we get a more biased and less clear impression of him before the more extreme parts happen and get revealed to the reader.

3) They are the worst! No to give spoilers but even when other people become more villainous than them, they are still at the core responsible for things unfolding they way they do. They undermine Clarissa and here autonomy constantly to other in their family so they can leverage the things they want both over and away from her. Limiting her freedom, the pushing of Solmes are all part of this. I think part of the tragedy of this book is that there isn't much Clarissa could have done at any point, especially once they invalidate her position with others.


4) It is interesting because while yes her opinion of him does sway in several instances I don't think that would be abnormal for anyone where we start to consider people a bit differently when they act differently. At her core, she still seems to maintain a skepticism about him even when she feels desperate and dependent on him. She doesn't tell Anna at any point that she wants to run away with him with gusto, it's something she ruminates as she feels her options are leaving her. As the reader, we also are privy to his correspondence to his libertine friends- which Clarissa does not have the privilege of.

5) Well, he is charming and does not believe that Clarissa should be essentially imprisoned by her family. This makes her later hesitant flight with him more believable before we get to see his full true colors.

6) Honestly, at the beginning it was the brother for me. He is arrogant, and awful, and controlling, and it is his initial abuse of Clarissa that leaves her with limited options for freedom that results in her leaving with an even worse man later on. Which felt very true to real life abuse/trauma: abused people often lose any safety net by leaving their first abuser, making them susceptible to repeated trauma.

7) I checked 43 and it includes her being visited by extended family and thinking she could leave with them, then fighting with her sister about being able to leave because her sister claims she does not condemn Lovelace enough to be trusted with her own safety. I'm surprised this is one that is sometimes taken out, that's pretty much the whole crux of the story right there.

[Kristel]

I am moving painfully slow this book. I am only to letter 34.

[Mette]

I'm at letter 72 and I'm not rushing myself... I think my best strategy so far has been to read as much as possible of this book until I get bored, and then take a break to read other books in between.

[Patrick]

The pace gets a bit quicker past letter 99. And it feels lighter too. Don't despair, I'm still only at letter 163!

[Gail]

I am at Letter 31, and I can not say I am enjoying it but I will not despair. Little by little…

[Charlotte]

Glad to see that you have picked up this book. I am listening in on the sideline. Started reading it a couple of years ago and I am determined to finish it. The long, slow pace just adds drama to the events and makes me feel for Clarissa even more. I love the particular sexual tension, because it is too peculiar that this is written so long time ago, and that it is still an important theme in a significant classic written almost 300 years ago.

I am at letter 150, so I can’t participate in detail for this section. remember that Clarissa‘s siblings were so cruel, but I don’t remember exactly how. I will participate in the next section when we move on.

[Kristel]

My copy is divided into parts. I moved from part 1 to 2 and the letter count started over, so now I am at a quandary of how to keep tract by letters.

[Pip]

1. I have finished letter 99 and need to make my comments before listening further - but I am so into the book that I can't wait to press on! When you think of the poor sample of men that Anna and Clarissa know, then Anna's assessment of men in general does not seem to be too harsh! From Clarissa's relations to Lovelace and Hickman there isn't an admiable character among them. Virtue was the paramount virtue at the time - particularly for women - but then and now it is an important consideration when choosing a spouse. Having said that, I remember thinking, it is definitely going to be for worse when taking my marriage vows!

[Pip]

2. I was wanting to hear Lovelace's own voice early on, but by having his letters interpreted by Clarissa we do not find out what a scheming wretch he is until we find out from his letters to his friend and to his servant. So we are also unaware of just how naive Clarissa is.
3. James loathes Lovelace because he bettered him at school and then bested him in a dual. He would hate him to become a member of the family. Arabella quite fancied Lovelace but he rejected her so she is determined that her little sister should not have him. Together they scheme to manipulate their parents into believing that Clarissa is in love with Lovelace and determined to elope with him. They convince Solmes that Clarissa's repugnance towards him is simply maidenly hesitation. He, meanwhile, boasts how he will subdue her into submission after marriage, a prospect that seems to heighten his determination to have her. Clarissa tries hard to convince everyone that she does not love Lovelace and would be very happy to renounce both her fortune and the opportunity to marry at all. However her steadfast determination to honour her parents stops her from absolutely standing up to them. Perhaps if she had she may have had support from her aunt and uncles.

[Pip]

5. Lovelace is known to be generous, and is apparently well liked, but by now we know that he is motivated to exact revenge on all women from being spurned and that he is uncouth and thoughless towards servants.
6. It is a tight race, but I think James Harlowe is the biggest villain. He cares nothing for his younger sister and delights in influencing the older one and his other relations for his own ends, which are greedy and revengeful,

[Pip]

7. Because I am listening to an Audible version it is hard to remember which letter is which. However I read this before I got to letters 66 and 67 so I noted that they were letters from Anna Howe to her suitor Hickman and his reply to her, so they are a little superfluous, but they do tell us more about Anna and how we can judge her advice to Clarissa.

[Patrick]

Kristel wrote: "My copy is divided into parts. I moved from part 1 to 2 and the letter count started over, so now I am at a quandary of how to keep tract by letters."

Since many of you are perusing the Centaur Classics edition, I have "invested" $0.94 (in Australian currency, mind you; around $US 0.60 these days) to purchase the Kindle version and provide you with an equivalence table for the letter numbers. Please refer to the introductory topic for details.

[[deleted user]]

I have now settled into tackling this one letter per day and according to the chart I am on letter 93 which is as near as damn it to answer the questions LOL

1. Based on the small sample in the novel I can't say I disagree with her but then with the exception of Anna and Clarissa the women aren't much better and I wouldn't want a "good" male character stuck with any of them.

2. I would have liked to read them linearly as that would tell you everything that was happening at the time making it easier to keep track of what is going on. I am going to assume the author knows what he is doing and go with it.

3. The whole family seem horrible to me they appear to be motivated by jealousy and a desire to keep Clarissa's inheritance for themselves. Solmes is convenient as he can be manipulated and is willing to trade land with James.

4. I am with-holding judgement on Lovelace as what we hear comes from his "enemies" although he does seem to be a scheming so and so.

5. There is a rumour he was good to a tenant who had been taken advantage of, he is not Solmes, he does get Clarissa away from marriage to Solmes.

6. James for sure he is a money grabbing, manipulative little toe rag.

7. To be honest I feel a lot of letters could be omitted at this stage as it is just the same backward and forward oh no it's so bad, hide your writing things, oh no they searched my rooms again, Betty is horrible to me, I will rescue you, oh rescue me, no don't rescue me oh but now rescue me. In terms of moving the story on very few letters actually do that.

[Gail]

I have finally made it to Letter 99.
1) I do believe that Clarissa and Anna's set of marriageable choices were extremely limited. The population was low, the gender demographics not on their side, and the class distinctions meant that there were very few "eligible" bachelors. It was common practice at the time for families to arrange marriages in order to bolster their financial resources. The women were raised to "keep their virtue", i.e. keep their financial worth but in making this the primary sellable characteristic, I suspect many women of this time felt the same way that Anna felt; that all men were monkeys. Certainly, the few we have met so far are worthy of the name.

2) As others have mentioned, by filtering them through what Clarissa saw, we get a better idea of Clarissa's judgements but not as clear of an idea of what a horrible manipulator Lovelace was. Once we get to his letters to Belford we learn much more about Lovelace.

3) I believe that Anna was correct that the only thing that Clarissa could have done differently was to keep her grandfather's legacy to her under her own control which would have given her a slight bit more leverage in bargaining with her "friends" (what an odd use of the word). The other option she had was to have said yes to marrying who we are lead to believe were even worse candidates presented to her previously. I do not think that Mr Solmes is very intelligent or savvy about being manipulated by James and Arabella but he is very willing to be manipulated because it serves his own desires. I think that the father is so outraged that his daughter is being obstinate and not passively doing what he wants, that he has lost all perspective on the subject and can not think that there are other solutions to the problem.

4) Clarissa does sway in her thoughts on Lovelace but with so few options she has to at least consider Lovelace as one of those options. Yes, she is very naive.

5) He appears to care about the conditions of his tenants and is often generous. He is also clearly a "fun to be with" buddy to his male friends. He was able to refrain from using "rosebud" wrongly but he was totally creepy about it.

6) I would have to say that James is the worst so far as he has turned on a member of his own family out of greed. He also suffers from being a totally boring character. I suspect that Lovelace will, in time, become worse but at least he is a refreshingly different letter writer than the two young women.

7) I am reading the Penguin Classic and an e-book for when I travel. I went back and read the omitted letters and although they do not move the plot forward they are at least refreshing new voices and they do capture something of the expectations between a suitor and a mother attempting to arrange a marriage during that time.

[Kristel]

1. Do you consider that she is a bit too harsh in her assessment (based on that small sample) or that she and Clarissa place too much emphasis on virtue as the most important “decision factor” to arrest their choice of men? I am very surprised at how much these young ladies express opinions in the 18th century when women were not much more than the property of their fathers and husbands. These two women are obviously educated and intelligent. This is like a soap opera. It also is a novel written by a man about a 'young lady'.

2. In Clarissa’s letters to Anna Howe, extracts from letters to and from Lovelace are often included. Would it have been preferable for Richardson to include the Lovelace correspondence directly in the novel? Is there anything that might be missed or hidden in this correspondence that could reveal more about both Lovelace and Clarissa? I think this technique allows the reader to be more informed by the opinion of Clarissa rather than Lovelace and it keeps him a mystery to us. I good technique, I think. I felt that Clarissa is not a reliable reporter. Even though she is intelligent, Clarissa would have been wiser to try to get a more accurate picture of the situation. Her refusals to listen is not a poor one.

3. It is clear at this point that James and Arabella were the architects of Clarissa’s torments and situation. How have they managed to corral the support of their father and mother, their uncles and aunts? Is Mr Solmes solely a plaything in their hands? Can you think of a way or situation in which Clarissa can effect a change of mind from her parents and relatives, despite her new situation? I do think James and Arabella are Clarissa's half sibs and they must be very jealous and calculating. I think if she were more willing to listen and talk with Solmes she might have been able to have more credibility with her parents and the man might also help her more. I agree that keeping her inheritance would have been the better but I do think the men who felt the "owned" the females commonly took over the females money.

4. In this first section of 99 letters, there are several moments where Clarissa’s opinion of Lovelace is affected by events, words or deeds. Considering that on balance Lovelace is so far on the wicked side of morality, is it fair to say that Clarissa might be easily influenced and a little bit naïve? yes and very stubborn

5. What are Robert Lovelace’s redeeming qualities, if any? he is vengeful, dishonest and manipulative therefore at this point I can't think of redeeming qualities.

6. Of Robert Lovelace, Joseph Leman and James Harlowe jr. (aka the brother), who is displaying the worst character so far? James Harlow Jr.

7. The Penguin Classics edition omits a certain number of letters. In this first quarter, letters 43, 66 and 67 are skipped. For those who are reading another edition containing these letters, do you feel that they were essential to the story? Otherwise, are there any other letters that could have been omitted?

[Jamie]

The Libravox recordings I am listening to are divided into volumes, so I am guessing I am about 2/3 of the way finished with this first quarter. Mr. Solmes sounds like a real jerk, and I've been reading enough murder mysteries to wonder what Clarissa's family can each personally stand to gain that they are so obsessed with forcing her to marry Solmes. So far she does not seem sold on the notion of marrying Lovelace either, but he is becoming the only way out of an otherwise hopeless situation. rascal as he no doubt is, at the moment her whole family has set themselves as her enemy, and so long as they are set on forcing her to marry completely against her will, Lovelace at least is seemingly recognizing her as a person whose wishes at least matter.
I am very glad that I was not born into such a society, because I could see myself digging in my heels against an unwanted marriage just as stubbornly and desperately as Clarissa is doing, just on principle, though she is far more 'dutiful' to her family than I would be by this point in the narrative..

[Jamie]

By the end of this segment, I was still more or less sympathetic with poor Clarissa. Her family really is awful, but I also noticed the occasional letter where Anna reflects back exactly the criticisms Clarissa has been ranting about for som many letter, and Clarissa all of a sudden is telling off her only friend for saying anything bad about Clarissa's family. Clarissa is starting at this point to remind me a little of Carrot Ironfounderson, the insufferably perfect to the point of priggishness uprightness that has the capacity in Carrot's case to win hearts and rule kingdoms (from Discworld, by Terry Pratchett). Clarissa has less charisma though, so she is coming across more as a small-town prom-queen who is defined by a snooty sort of purity that pushes people away. She seems naiive and she acts very entitled. She escapes her family with the help of a young man who she has allowed to think might have a chabce at a romance with her. As soon as she is safely away, it is now all his fault that she is estranged from her family, she still won't hear any criticisms of her family without getting prickly, and while she complains of Mr. Lovelace's plans, she doesn't seem to have any of her own plans to offer instead. I was definitely starting to sympathize with Lovelace by the end of the section.
Also, I was comparing this story to Romeo and Juliet a lot throughout this quarter, a retelling of sorts but where they survive and have to stay together for far longer than the weeks(? I know they are not acquainted very long in the play) that the fair Juliet had to tolerate her impilsive and improper Romeo. But Clarissa is 19, not 15-16, though she acts so sheltered and young that I have to keep reminding me she is older.

[Kristel]

In the first section I started out not liking Clarissa and wondering if Lovelace was all that bad but that did not last long. My sympathies switched back and forth.

[Jamie]

Kristel wrote: "In the first section I started out not liking Clarissa and wondering if Lovelace was all that bad but that did not last long. My sympathies switched back and forth."

I never really liked Clarissa. Lovelace reminds me very much of some of the rascals in Shakespeare's romantic plays, and I just finished listening to the audiobooks of all of Shakespeare's plays, so maybe I am more disposed to sympathize with Lovelace. And, his plot to seduce Clarissa at least gives her more agency than her family's plan to marry her off to a man she dislikes. That, by modern terms would result in rape, but she'd be locked into a lifetime contract with her rapist, Their choice of husband for her was a major asshole and his idea of the pleasures inherent in subduing an unwilling young wife is awful.
I was even more disgusted with the whole social system that taught Clarissa to be so obsessed with her honor and purity and lack of bodily autonomy that she can't try out having a relationship with a guy she likes, learn from it, and move on. Lovelace was a jerk, but not anywhere near as bad a monster as he's made out to be.
Making myself read without injecting my own modern standards was tough with this book.

[Jane]

Q1.
Add Clarissa’s father, brother, and uncles to that list and it goes a long way toward proving Anna’s point. Clarissa does place a lot of emphasis on virtue, and perhaps that’s why she would prefer the “single life" (i.e., she knows/suspects that no man can measure up to her standards). However, I don’t think Anna cares overly about “virtue.” She might like Hickman better if he were a little more lively and less concerned with manners and airs.

Q2.
We’re only getting Clarissa’s spin on Lovelace’s letters and, if Anna is correct, Clarissa has a soft spot for him (“throbbing and glowing”) despite her protestations. Were we (and Anna) to read them verbatim, we might get a very different opinion of Lovelace and/or see Clarissa’s biases more clearly.

Q3.
It strikes me that they picked Solmes not just for his money but because he is so repellent to Clarissa. Mr. Harlowe seems easily convinced – all James had to do was suggest that Clarissa was becoming disobedient, and he determined to MAKE her obey whatever plan he came up with. Mrs. Harlowe seems to have gone along because she is afraid of her husband or too timid to defy so many opinions set in one direction. Mr. Solmes IS a plaything. In the meeting with Clarissa, he is put off by her vehement rejection. Without the prodding of James and the uncles, he would likely have backed off.

Q4.
She is naïve, and I think this is one of the reasons Richardson omits Lovelace’s letters. We get her take on them and he knows just how to play her… and everyone else for that matter (see the case of Rosebud).

Q5.
He’s really smart, obviously (see above and below). That is all I can come up with ;)

Q6.
It is a tie between Lovelace and James. Lemen is just Lovelace’s puppet. James seems like a stubborn, jealous, fool exploiting the little bit of power he has in the family to punish Clarissa and Lovelace and maximize his estate. That makes me dislike him intensely. Then again, Lovelace could be a sociopath, he seems so unconcerned with anything but his own pleasure. He only behaves himself and/or follows the dictates of society when it benefits him to do so.

Q7.
The exchange between Mrs. Howe and Mr. Hickman was very interesting, dealing with a topic other than Clarissa’s betrothal. But it is an interesting parallel to that situation; Mrs. Howe is not unlike the Harlowes in encouraging Hickman to pursue Anna when her daughter is plainly uninterested. But it seems to be harmless – one gets the sense that Anna can handle herself but also that her mother would not force her into a marriage she is set against.

There are MANY letters that could have been omitted because the same conflict is repeated. At one point, Clarissa even notes that everyone has been saying the same thing for weeks – they insist, she refuses, they insist again, etc. Perhaps Richardson wants to make it very clear that her family left her no option but to meet Lovelace.