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3.17 AVERAGE
3.17 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read throughout the year 2021 for book club!! Interesting experience.
Where to begin with Samuel Richardson's "Clarissa, or, The History of a Young Lady." I thought the overall story was really strong and interesting -- a family pressures their daughter/sister to marry a man she absolutely despises. Rather than doing so, she plots her escape with another suitor she previously rejected as unsuitable and debauched. Clarissa suffers horribly from the choices she makes and the unrelenting nature of her horrid family.
The flower language -- certainly indicative of the time the novel was written -- makes this a much more difficult read than it should be and much less enjoyable as well.
The flower language -- certainly indicative of the time the novel was written -- makes this a much more difficult read than it should be and much less enjoyable as well.
Just good old fashioned juicy drama, a tragic soap opera, a tale of woe that is as scintillating now as it ever was. I mean, quite long-winded, it could be less long-winded. But brilliant, it sucks you in and surrounds with the history of this young lady, just doing her damndest so survive some horrible people.
I mean, I'm only done with the first volume, but in my defense, it is quite long-winded. And I'll come back for the rest
I mean, I'm only done with the first volume, but in my defense, it is quite long-winded. And I'll come back for the rest
I couldn't finish. Not because of its length, but because I got sick of basically the same scene (Lovelace does something completely fucked up; Clarissa is mad; Lovelace says basically "If you marry me this won't be bad anymore"; Clarissa refuses; Lovelace decides the way to finally convince her is to do something more fucked up, rinse, repeat) repeating for chapter upon chapter. I quit about five chapters before the end of the version I was reading.
I also got sick of wondering what Lovelace's real motivation is: revenge against James? The props for debasing the world's most virtuous virgin? Actual, twisted love of Clarissa? I mean really. What the hell?
Clarissa herself even kind of aggravates me.
At any rate...I quit. I'm sorry.
I also got sick of wondering what Lovelace's real motivation is: revenge against James? The props for debasing the world's most virtuous virgin? Actual, twisted love of Clarissa? I mean really. What the hell?
Clarissa herself even kind of aggravates me.
At any rate...I quit. I'm sorry.
This is a LONG book written in letter format as if we are privy to various characters' correspondence. It's a tough one to get through just because of its size, and there is a lot of overlap and repetition among the many letters. However, the story itself is good.
I'm starting it again from the beginning. Rather than write an actual review, I'll just copy and paste my comment from below and call it good. I've got a very long book to reread.
"I love the real-time feel of the letters, the debating that goes on endlessly between characters and within the characters, the thought of a brilliant, diabolical man going against a brilliant, angelic woman, doing all that could be done to harm her, and still losing. I'm still processing. I will say that I'm astounded at the conclusions that many readers reached that Clarissa starves herself and Lovelace is unrepentant, vast over-simplifications. I don't think very many people have the patience to read a several million word long moral debate. Also I'm a sucker for lovely language and the language is glorious! "
"I love the real-time feel of the letters, the debating that goes on endlessly between characters and within the characters, the thought of a brilliant, diabolical man going against a brilliant, angelic woman, doing all that could be done to harm her, and still losing. I'm still processing. I will say that I'm astounded at the conclusions that many readers reached that Clarissa starves herself and Lovelace is unrepentant, vast over-simplifications. I don't think very many people have the patience to read a several million word long moral debate. Also I'm a sucker for lovely language and the language is glorious! "
One of the longest novels to be written in English, Richardson’s Clarissa defines the mid eighteenth century through both its epistolary form and its bourgeois mores. Though it’s tedious at times (a lot of times), the novel is meant to make you feel trapped, frustrated and listless - all the better to put you in the shoes (and tight-laced corset) of the titular heroine.
Whether you hate to love it or love to hate it, the novel is worth the labor it takes to read it - not just because of the bragging rights that come with finishing a literary Everest, but also for the rich study of character, craft, and plot you take away from it.
Whether you hate to love it or love to hate it, the novel is worth the labor it takes to read it - not just because of the bragging rights that come with finishing a literary Everest, but also for the rich study of character, craft, and plot you take away from it.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Glittery stars
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No