Clarissa

Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1747–1748. It is one of the longest novels in the English language.

Clarissa Harlowe's wealthy family expects her to marry Roger Solmes, a man she strongly dislikes. When she resists, her relatives isolate her and restrict her correspondence, treating marriage as a tool for property and family ambition rather than personal choice.

Robert Lovelace appears to offer an escape, but his charm conceals a sustained campaign of manipulation and coercive control. Through letters exchanged among Clarissa, her friend Anna Howe, Lovelace, and others, readers see how each character interprets—and attempts to control—the same events.

The letter form creates unusual psychological intimacy while exposing the limited legal and social power available to women in eighteenth-century England. Clarissa's struggle to preserve her judgment and dignity becomes a devastating examination of autonomy, reputation, violence, and moral responsibility.

Demanding in scale but remarkably detailed, Clarissa is a landmark in the development of the psychological novel. Its competing voices invite readers to question persuasion, self-justification, and whose account of harm is believed.

Content note: coercive control and sexual violence.