Clarissa Analysis

Jolly Old England (But Only Indoors) The setting in Clarissa is kind of like the setting of AMC's Mad Men: it takes place only indoors. (Think about it! It's true!) Okay, if you want to quibble, y...

Second Person (With Some Complications) Ever had a penpal? Then you, pal, were writing in the second person point of view. The same is true for most of Clarissa, in which Clarissa basically gets t...

Man, is Clarissa ever a downer. Spoilers to come, so beware scrolling down if you're not totally done reading yet. Okay, so our girl wants to get in on some true love action (minus the action...

Although Richardson occasionally throws us a funny bone (what's up, Dorcas-the-toad?) the main tone of the book is dark and moralizing. It's the kind of story where you're always waiting for the...

Long-Winded, Self-Conscious The first thing you need to know about Richardson is that the guy has a lot to say. Okay, okay, the book is 1,488 pages—that's not exactly a revolutionary statement....

Clarissa; or The History of a Young Lady seems pretty clear from the outset. It's all about Clarissa's adventures and mishaps, after all. She's the star of the show, the belle of the ball, the main...

Clarissa's out of the picture by the end, leaving us to wonder what happened to all of her homies. Okay, and leaving us to wonder about what happened to the people who wronged her. (You know we lov...

Did we mention the book is long? Oh boy is it long. We recommend a bucket of Red Vines and at least a six-pack of Diet Coke if you're planning to tackle this beast of an eighteenth-century nove...

Exposition (Initial Situation)Clarissa the GreatMiss Clarissa and the rest of the Harlowe family live in jolly old England. Clarissa's practically perfect in every way, but her bratty siblings have...

Clarissa may be practically perfect in every way, but she can't help wanting a cutie to share the ups and downs of life. It's too bad that her chosen dude is Lovelace, a guy who is bad in every s...

Clarissa's as happy as a clam before her parents forbid her from talking to her new crush, Lovelace. She's dead-set against marrying gross old Mr. Solmes, but her BFF Anna tries to stop her fro...

Samuel Richardson was bitter rivals with Henry Fielding, another eighteenth-century dude who wrote books. Fielding basically made his career out of making fun of Richardson. (source)Couldn't stop c...

This is a little awkward, Shmoopers. Our beloved author, Sammy Richardson, was well-known for writing titillating scenes that just border on the inappropriate. Clarissa has plenty of almost-sexy-...

Literary and Philosophical References John Dryden (21.13)John Dryden, Tyrannic Love, or the Royal Martyr: A Tragedy (31.59)William Shakespeare, Othello (31.67)Abraham Cowley, The Mistress (31.70)W...