Clarissa's NarratorsP. Lang, 2001 - 172 pages Challenging the view that Samuel Richardson's eighteenth-century epistolary novel Clarissa is a shapeless sequence of letters, this book argues that the novel has an action structure consisting of five act-like movements that emerge from the round robin transfer of narrative dominance: from the interiorizing drama enacted on the epistolary stage first by Clarissa's, then by Lovelace's self-reflections on just-past events, to Belford's more conventionally novelistic other-reflective narrative that ends the history. This book contrasts Clarissa's use of soliloquy to achieve self-understanding with Lovelace's employment of dramatic monologue to enable self-deception. Finally, Miss Howe's and Belford's performances in epistolary friendship are evaluated. |
Table des matières
CLARISSAs Three Narrators | 21 |
CLARISSAs Two Dramatists | 49 |
Clarissas SelfAppraisal | 83 |
Droits d'auteur | |
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Expressions et termes fréquents
action admiration affectional already appear asking attempt attention become begins Belford calls characters Clarissa conduct continues correspondence death describes desire drama dramatic monologue earlier effort emotional engage epistolary evaluate evidence expect experience expression fantasies father final finds follows friendship function future give Harlowe Place heart hope intention Lady leave letter live look Lovelace Lovelace's March marry means ment mind Miss Howe's moral mother movement narcissistic narrates narrative nature novel once other-reflective Plot present provides prudence psychomachia question rape readers reading reality realizes reason reflection reform refuses relatives response revenge Richardson's says scene segment self-reflective sense Sinclair's situation social soliloquy Solmes stage structure suffering tells things third thou thought tion truth turn understand virtue wish woman women writes