Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

"To give her a lowering sensibility; to bring her down from among the stars which her beamy head was surrounded by, that my wife so greatly above me, might not despise me, this was one of my reptile motives, owing to my more reptile enemy, and to my consciousness of inferiority to her! Yet she, from step to step, from distress to distress, to maintain her superiority; and, like the sun, to break out upon me with the greater refulgence for the clouds that I had continued to cast about her! And now to escape me thus! No power left me to repair the wrongs! No alleviation to my self-reproach! No dividing of blame with her!"

He felt his inferiority in his consciousness. One knows a noble person by the reaction we feel to them, they make us see what we lack.

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British classic. I decided to read what Dostoevsky read...200 hundred years ago. My goodness, such a long time. It is written all in letters-which leaves little room for imagery. The character Clarissa represents a very noble ideal, something that is so morally above everyone else. Yet, she was attracted, and even fell in love, with a "villain". She was attracted to the "forbidden". I still think she loved him when she died. Lovelace is very interesting. One can't help but pity him, and yet I admire his determination and passion- his sincere passion. It's really beautiful. And up until the end, he had thought he would marry her- always trying to make plans. He had such a selfish love- and yet, at the same time- a sincere one. But is such a sincere love, with all bad actions, real? A madman can be sincere in his love for blood, but that does not make it real...

I think I stumbled upon Lovelace in one of Dostoevsky's books- portraying him as a bad character. I actually admire him more than I admire Clarissa. She was too perfect...too noble, something that is not real. One has to be a little tainted, because it provides contrast in life. Noble people are so by nature, and therefore win over all just by existing. They personally do not have to do anything. As if a sort of divinity settled on their characters... Lovelace on the other hand, struggles like a real human being with passions that could not be quelled. He knew, consciously knew that he was a "bad" person, and so much more "inferior" than Clarissa. This knowledge drove him to do those things. Throughout life, there is less development in the noble person, than in the "bad", because they do not have to work to get to a certain point- they are already there. While, the already tainted people have to deal with the shame and guilt, and have to survive through it. This adds to a person much more; suffering. It is essential for the journey of man. Clarissa was tested and tested, and never failed. But maybe, her love for Lovelace could have been considered a sort of "failure", something she could not control. The only thing her noble spirit could not rein in. This makes the heroine a lot more interesting- why she fell in love with such a person.


Overall, amazing story. My first British classic, I believe.


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Pub by Modern Library 1950