Finished: Clarissa (Richardson) So sad, so tragic, so horribly unnecessary how kind, virtuous Clarissa was treated by her family, and then defiled by the despicable Robert Lovelace. Good Lord, why was it so rare for writers to create loving relationships back in the early days? Touted as one of the longest books in the English language at 2000 pages, I read the 786 page version, which the author long ago encouraged editors to create. I don't think I could have handled the 2000 page version. The entire book is written in letters from one character to another, and these letters give accounts of all the action and conversations. I'm not going to go into a long explanation of the book. I actually had to step away from it for a couple of days before completing it, and I just don't feel like recounting the entire book in great detail. Clarissa Harlowe is 18 and the beloved youngest daughter of the wealthy Harlowe family. She has an older brother, James, and an older sister, Arabella. The Harlowes are always looking at future potential husbands for their daughters that will make good matches, i.e., gentlemen with impeccable reputations who will increase their status in society, as well as their "family" wealth. Enter the libertine, Robert Lovelace. By all accounts, he has come to make an offer for the hand of Arabella, but he doesn't spend any time talking to her. He, instead, spends all his time talking to her father. Arabella is offended, and declares she wouldn't have him anyway. Lovelace leaves the estate without making any offers. Meanwhile, brother James has discovered what an unsavory reputation the wealthy gentleman has in terms of being a seducer of young women, loving them and leaving them. The two end up in a duel, where Lovelace injures James, who recovers. These two events create a hatred and animosity towards Lovelace from the entire family...even though Robert Lovelace's own family is of high regard and would have made a wonderful match. The only one in the family with no hatred in her, because she doesn't have a hateful bone in her body, is the kind, beautiful, smart, virtuous Clarissa. When Clarissa receives a letter from Lovelace, asking if she can intercede on his behalf with her family to forgive him...especially since he was very remorseful of hurting James, and attentive to him after doing so, the family goes completely ape-bleep. I have never seen such a quick reversal in the personalities of characters who had just been laid out before me in a book. They become convinced that Lovelace's one true mission is to have Clarissa, and what is worse, they convince themselves that Clarissa loves him back. Nothing could be further from the truth, but they will not believe the honest words of Clarissa when she says she wants nothing to do with him, so they set off to marry her off to someone else right away. Her brother and sister become cruel and judgemental throughout this process, and her father unbending and dismissive. Her mother bows to her father, and so will not even speak to Clarissa and keeps her locked in her room when she refuses to marry or even give an "interview" to the boring, unintelligent, foppish gentleman they have selected for her to marry. The more Clarissa digs her heels in not to marry, the more the entire extended family is certain it is because she really loves Lovelace. Lovelace, meanwhile, sneaks a letter to Clarissa in the secret tree where she corresponds with her best friend and tells her he's heard "about town" that her parents have already got the wedding license and will be moving to have her married within days. He tells her he would be happy to be her protector and take her to his wealthy uncle's or aunt's house where she can ask for protection while her parents come to their senses. He also declares his love for her and tells her that HE wants to marry her. Her goodness is known so far throughout England, that Lovelace's family revels in this idea. They know their nephew is a handful, and caddish, and think Clarissa would turn him around into a loving man. Anyway....Clarissa writes to Lovelace, thanks but no thanks, she couldn't possibly go against her family in that way...and while she can't accept his marriage proposal, she will also never marry that other man. With the day coming closer, Clarissa gets more and more frantic. She agrees to meet Lovelace in the garden to talk. She is going to tell him that no matter what, she will stay and face the consequences. However, Lovelace is a rotten scoundrel. He has already arranged a coach, and he has arranged for a servant on the inside to make a ruckus and act like the family is coming out to catch her in the act and to begin a duel with him all over. He grabs her by the arm and forces her to run away. He convinces her that is better than staying there and someone being hurt. Clarissa truly is always thinking of others before herself, and so she'd rather run away and ruin her reputation than risk someone in her family dueling. All of Lovelace's words to her at this point have seemed honorable and above board. He tells her he's taking her directly to his aunt's for protection. She weeps the entire way, knowing her family will never forgive her. Meanwhile, Lovelace's entire side of the story is always told in letters to his good friend, John Belford, while Clarissa's is always told to dearest friend (and the only person who never abandons her) Anna Howe. From here, I don't have the heart to go into much more detail. Needless to say, Lovelace's letters to Belford show what a complete narcissistic, manipulative, horrible man he is. Rather than take Clarissa to his aunt's, where she would have been happily accepted and a marriage made to justify all the actions, and most likely repair her reputation....Lovelace, who has never had ANY intention of marrying, takes Clarissa to a whorehouse. Oh, he doesn't let her know what the place is, lying to her over and over again that his relatives are ill and they'll be going soon. He ends up holding her prisoner, and when she rebuffs his every advance and declaration of love, and turns down his every pleading marriage proposal, Lovelace determines that he simply must win. He holds her against her will at the house, drugs her one night into a haziness, and rapes her. Clarissa awakens in despair that her virtue has been stolen. Her life is over, as she knows it. Her family will never forgiver her, and what's more...will God even accept her into heaven when she has been sullied this way? She totally blames herself. And, of course, though Lovelace acts like he's remorseful, he never truly accepts blame or responsibility for his actions. If she'd only loved him or given into him, then he wouldn't have had to resort to his deceitful, libertine ways. It's just horrible, horrible. Lovelace continues to hold Clarissa captive, but doesn't rape her again. When he is called to his uncle's estate on emergency, he leaves Clarissa under lock and key with the madame of the house. Clarissa, however, weak in mind and spirit, manages to escape to London. She finds a kindly couple who take her in and she immediately collapses in precarious health. Meanwhile, Lovelace's friend Belford, who is actually a true gentleman, arrives in town, and finds Clarissa, at Lovelace's bequest. He is appalled at what Lovelace has done to Clarissa and becomes her true friend and admirer. He makes sure she gets the best medical care, but it soon becomes clear that Clarissa is dying. :-( Sadly, all Clarissa wants now is the blessings of her beloved Papa and Mama to take with her before she dies. She writes them letters, and is still denied and shunned by the family who thinks she's lying and just trying to get back into their good graces. Clarissa's family comes to understand that Clarissa truly is about to die when it's all too late. She has last letters for each of them, and they all, of course, react in despair when she dies without them ever making amends and make it all about themselves, as usual. Lovelace makes the entire death of "his beloved Clarissa" all about himself as well. Honestly, there were times I just wanted to get up and wash my mouth out with mouthwash he was so self-centered and horrible. At least Clarissa has the love and friendship of both Belford and Anna Howe as she dies...and at the very end, her cousin, Colonel Mordin, who she had hoped would come to town early on in the book to convince her parents not to make her marry. Arriving in town too late for that, he was the only one in the family who denounced all the others, rode out to see Clarissa, and was able to be there with her as she died. Before she dies, Clarissa names John Belford to be her the executor of her will, and pleads with her cousin not to take revenge on Lovelace after she dies. She doesn't want any more bloodshed, and wants her family to be able to pick up the pieces. She asks Belford to tell Lovelace that she forgives him and hopes he will change his ways. She dies peacefully knowing that she is going to God. After her death, her cousin Mordin sticks to his word about Lovelace, until Lovelace writes him one day saying "he heard" Mordin was out to avenge his cousin's death. Mordin decides to take that as divine intervention and in a very gentlemanly way, calls Lovelace out for a duel, setting up time, place, and weapon. Thankfully, Mordin is far more skilled with the rapier than the very adept Lovelace is, and Lovelace is killed. Yay!! He dies a slow, painful death. It sure made me feel better in the end, but didn't make up AT ALL for the tragic loss of such a beautiful, pure young soul. Gosh, I really need to read a happy book next! No idea where I'll fine one though. Sigh.