Remarks on Clarissa (1749‪)‬

“Tedious stuff!” is the verdict on Clarissa at one gathering; at another, a gentleman claims he can tell the story of its first two volumes in minutes. Sarah Fielding has heard enough to put the novel’s critics on trial.

In 1749, Fielding addresses Samuel Richardson about the storm of conversation around his novel: its length, its family quarrels, and the choices of Clarissa Harlowe. She gives the objections their full force, then asks what a bare plot-summary leaves out—the distinct characters, hidden motives, and small turns of manner that make a household feel known. One guest likens the novel’s details to needless delay; another argues that understanding a family may matter more to ordinary readers than tracing the affairs of an empire. How much of Clarissa disappears when her story is reduced to a few lines?

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