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This thesis examines Richardson's representation in Clarissa of the heroine's triumphant death. It considers Clarissa's triumph in relation to the implicit doctrine of freedom of the will and the constitution of the self. Clarissa and Lovelace represent the uncontrollable freedom of the human will and exemplify its potentiality either to choose the good or to subject itself to the desire for power and self-gratification. Chapter one of this thesis discusses Clarissa in relation to the theories of several current literary theoreticians whose work constitutes a response to Kant's ideas on freedom and ethical decisions. The remaining chapters seek through close reading and interpretation of key scenes in the novel to understand what Richardson meant to represent through Clarissa's triumphant death. The argument reassesses Richardson's use of exemplary figures to embody his spiritual and moral ideas. It addresses the problem of ambiguity in Clarissa's forgiveness of her persecutors. Richardson's representation of Clarissa's triumph has both worldly and spiritual aspects. Acting always in accordance with principled choice (second-order evaluations), Clarissa resists all attempts to subjugate her; she reconstitutes her identity to become a Christian heroine. She achieves spiritual transcendence through penitence for her errors, forgiveness of those who have injured her and complete resignation to the will of God. Lovelace's misuse of free will and his refusal to relinquish his libertine identity and reform lead to his final worldly and spiritual defeat. Through their lives and deaths Clarissa and Lovelace demonstrate that individuals are responsible for the choices they make, for the identities they establish, and that they must accept the consequences of their choices.

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Most Richardson scholarship mentions that Clarissa shares affinities with drama; however, with the exception of three books and a few articles, there is no comprehensive study of the drama's effect upon the composition of the work. No one work deals with all areas in which drama affected the novel, and no one work deals exclusively with Clarissa. The drama influenced the composition of the novel in three ways: First, tragedy and theories of neoclassic tragedy exerted an influence upon the work. Richardson himself defended his novel in terms of eighteenth-century views of tragedy. Secondly, Restoration and early eighteenth-century plays affected the plot, character portrayals, and language of Clarissa. Lastly, Richardson adapted techniques of the stage to the novel so that Clarissa, though an epistolary novel, achieves the manner, if not the effect, of the theater.

This paper proposes that Samuel Richardson consciously created the motivational complexity of Clarissa Harlowe. The arguments are the following: eighteenth-century scientific interest in motivation influenced Richardson, his Puritanism led him to suspect and emphasize motive, his frequent use of the word motive suggests an awareness, his choice of the epistolary form is ideal for revealing motives, his attention to the ambiguity of motives indicates his interest, and his complexly motivated Clarissa demands a conscious creator. The last argument constitutes the principal section of the study, and Clarissa's motives are analyzed from the events prior to the elopement, through the rape in London, and finally to her death. She is studied as a product of eighteenth-century decorum, individualism, and Puritanism, but also as an intricate personality.

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Bibliography: leaves 333-361.

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Samuel Richardson's second novel, Clarissa: or, The History of a Young Lady, one of the longest novels in English, has appeared in dozens of significantly different editions, many of them abridgments. This study examines the means by which Richardson and later editors altered the text of Clarissa, primarily by working with three variables: its epistolary format, its length, and its explicit moral lessons.The first half of the study reviews relevant scholarly research and traces Richardson's uses of internal editors in his four editions of the novel. Richardson's omniscient editor, the most visible and conventional of the internal editors of ClarissR, operates both inside and outside the epistolary framework of the novel. Inside, the editorial voice adds identifying tags to letters and summarizes missing letters. Outside, the editor emphasizes moral elements of the novel by means of a preface and postscript, numerous footnotes, a list of principal characters, and a judgmental table of contents. Richardson expanded the role of this editor in each of his successive editions.Richardson's mastery of the epistolary format further appears in his use of all the major correspondents as internal editors. Jack Belford operates most visibly, assembling correspondence to and from Clarissa and Lovelace to vindicate Clarissa's memory and instruct possible readers. Belford's Conclusion serves a similar function to the nameless editor's preface and postscript. Richardson also gave Clarissa, Anna Howe, and Lovelace editorial tasks, including introducing and summarizing letters, footnoting, and altering letters before showing them to someone other than the intended recipient.Each major correspondent also has a unique individual editorial function.The study's second half analyzes and compares seven abridgments of Clarissa published between 1868 and 1971, concluding that all seven drastically change the novel (yet in differing fashions) despite their retention of its plot and epistolary format.All seven external editors alter Richardson's stated intentions. Four variables shape the comparison: stated editorial intent, omissions, alterations, and additions. An appendix lists the contents of all seven abridgments by individual letter. / Department of English

Bibliography: leaves 333-361 / xv, 361 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of English, 1988