The Screws Are Tightened

Clarissa read-along: Letters 8 to 17

Mar 03, 2023

Dear friends,

It’s been an exciting week! New twists have been revealed in the scheme to marry off Clarissa to the detestable Mr Solmes; she’s been banned from writing to Anna (forcing her to come up with an ingenious way to exchange letters); and the whole family is tightening the screws. In letters 16 and 17 we discover they’ve sent in Clarissa’s mother and, after a lot of debate, she’s going to put forward Clarissa’s case. At least there’s a glimmer of hope as we head into the weekend.

We’ve found out a little more about Mr Solmes. Clarissa thinks he’s an ugly miser who’s quite willing to screw over his own family to get what he wants. The role of money, revenge and jealousy in the marriage plot has become much clearer. The Harlowe family stand to gain a great deal financially in the match, as does Solmes himself. Clarissa no longer holds quite so much back in her criticism of the siblings. In quoting her brother’s favourite line about women, daughters and inheritance, Richardson brings feminist threads to the surface:

“‘That a man who has sons brings up chickens for his own table’ (though I once made his comparison stagger with him by asking him, if the sons to make it hold were to have their necks wrung off?) ‘whereas daughters are chickens brought up for the tables of other men.’”

Meanwhile gossip reveals that Arabella is still very much infatuated with Lovelace - envy is her motivation. But it’s Anna’s letters that have really thrilled me this week. I adore her outspokenness! Beginning with the great line, “What odd heads some people have!” letter 10 is packed with zingers. Anna is also very astute, calling out the Harlowe family’s love of money while also laying some blame upon Clarissa’s submissive temperament:

“You are all too rich to be happy, child. For must not each of you by the constitutions of your family marry to be still richer?”

“The person who will bear much shall have much to bear all the world through.”

Clarissa might be quick to deny that she’s falling for Lovelace, but Anna reminds her that, “it is no manner of argument that because you would not be in love, you are not.” I’m keen to see how this pans out. Anna clearly thinks Clarissa is, “in danger,” and that her rational approach to love is unlikely to protect her from its reality.

As for Lovelace, both girls are agreed he’s an unworthy suitor. He’s generous but much too vain and haughty. What’s worse, he enjoys writing - a pursuit that’s okay for domestic women with little else to do:

“But that such a gay, lively young fellow as this, who rides, hunts, travels, frequents the public entertainments, and has means to pursue his pleasures, should be be able to set himself down to write for hours together, as you and I have heard him say he frequently does, that is the strange thing.”

I can’t help thinking about Richardson himself here. Could this be a tongue-in-cheek comment about his own profession and the rather lowly status of the novel in popular culture at the time?

I’m looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts on this week’s letters. What do you think of Anna? And what of Clarissa’s mother - a submissive woman who has, “purchased [her] value with her compliances”? Should she be doing more to help in the name of female solidarity, and how? I love how Richardson is revealing that the “love and reverence” we often have for our parents can make it extremely difficult to break free of their influence.

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