Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady - Volume 1
'Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady - Volume 1' Summary
Robert Lovelace, a wealthy "libertine" and heir to a substantial estate, begins to court Arabella, Clarissa's older sister. However, she rejects him because she felt slighted by his more ardent interest in her parents' approval than in her. Lovelace quickly moves on from Arabella to Clarissa, much to the displeasure of Arabella and their brother James. Clarissa insists that she dislikes Lovelace, but Arabella grows jealous of Lovelace's interest in the younger girl. James, also, dislikes Lovelace greatly because of a duel the two had once fought. These feelings combine with resentment that their grandfather had left Clarissa a piece of land and lead the siblings to be aggressive to Clarissa. The entire Harlowe family is in favour of her marrying Roger Solmes, however Clarissa finds Solmes to be unpleasant company and does not wish to marry him, either. This makes her family suspicious of her supposed dislike of Lovelace and they begin to disbelieve her.
The Harlowes begin restricting Clarissa's contact with the outside world by forbidding her to see Lovelace. Eventually they forbid her to either leave her room or send letters to her friend, Anna Howe, until Clarissa apologises and agrees to marry Solmes. Trapped and desperate to regain her freedom, Clarissa continues to communicate with Anna secretly and begins a correspondence with Lovelace while trying to convince her parents not to force her to marry Solmes. Neither Clarissa nor her parents will concede. They see her protests as stubborn disobedience and communication between parents and daughter breaks down. Lovelace convinces Clarissa to elope with him to avoid the conflict with her parents. Joseph Leman, a servant of the Harlowe family, shouts and makes noise so it may seem like the family has awoken and discovered that Clarissa and Lovelace are about to run away.
Frightened of the possible aftermath, Clarissa leaves with Lovelace but becomes his prisoner for many months. Her family now will not listen to or forgive Clarissa because of this perceived betrayal, despite her continued attempts to reconcile with them. She is kept at many lodgings, including unknowingly a brothel, where the women are disguised as high-class ladies by Lovelace so as to deceive Clarissa. Despite all of this, she continues to refuse Lovelace, longing to live by herself in peace.
Book Details
Author
Samuel Richardson
England
Born into a large family, Richardson was baptised on 19 August 1689 in Derbyshire, England. The country, at this time, was in the midst of the Glorious Revolution. His father worked as a joi...
More on Samuel RichardsonDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The People that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The People That Time Forgot is a fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second of his Caspak trilogy. The sequence was first publi...
The Adventures of Sally by P. G. Wodehouse
The Adventures of Sally is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse. It appeared as a serial in Collier's magazine in the United States from October 8 to December 3...
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
Dear Enemy is the 1915 sequel to Jean Webster's 1912 novel Daddy-Long-Legs. It was among the top 10 best sellers in the U.S. in 1916. The story is pre...
Lady Jim of Curzon Street by Fergus Hume
Lady Jim of Curzon Street is a gripping mystery novel by Fergus Hume, the author of the classic The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. The novel tells the story...
Ruth Hall by Fanny Fern
Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time by Fanny Fern (pen name of Sara Payson Willis), a popular 19th-century newspaper writer. Following on h...
Psmith in the City by P. G. Wodehouse
Psmith in the City is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published on 23 September 1910 by Adam & Charles Black, London. The story was originally relea...
The Human Boy Again by Eden Phillpotts
Step back in time to the turn-of-the-century English boarding school, where a group of mischievous boys embark on hilarious adventures and learn valua...
The Greenstone Door by William Satchell
The Greenstone Door is a historical novel, set between 1830-1860’s New Zealand. The main character, Cedric Tregarthen, is remembering his past, tellin...
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
Daddy-Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, as she leaves an or...
If I Had a Father by George MacDonald
A young boy's journey to find his father is a story of self-discovery and the power of love. If I Had a Father is a novel by George MacDonald, a Scot...
Reviews for Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady - Volume 1
No reviews posted or approved, yet...