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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.68120 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | McLachlan, Dorice |
| Contributors | Hensley, David C. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of English.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001401485, proquestno: AAIMM94372, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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