Clarissa Summary

Clarissa Harlowe, an esteemed 18-year-old beauty, becomes a pawn in her family's ambitious plans to ascend the social ladder. They are wealthy yet lack high societal status, and view Clarissa as their ticket to prestige. Richard Lovelace, a charming yet unscrupulous man, initially courts Arabella, Clarissa's sister, but later becomes infatuated with Clarissa. Arabella's envy, coupled with their brother James's existing resentment towards Lovelace, fuels a familial animosity towards him. Lovelace wounds James in a duel, heightening the family's hatred, leading them to isolate Clarissa and pressure her into marrying a detestable wealthy man, Roger Solmes. Clarissa, who secretly corresponds with Lovelace and her close friend Anna Howe, rejects Solmes and is subsequently confined to her room. Lovelace, capitalizing on Clarissa's fear of forced marriage, deceives her into eloping with him.

After running away, Clarissa is fully under Lovelace's control. Her reputation tarnished and abandoned by her family, Clarissa remains oblivious to Lovelace's machinations. Despite his affection for her, Lovelace despises the thought of marriage, aiming to coerce her into living with him instead. He constantly tests Clarissa's moral resolve as a way of gauging the virtue of all women. Unbeknownst to Clarissa, Lovelace's ultimate intention is to have her forsake her stringent principles, smear her name further, and assert complete dominance over her. She unwittingly follows him to London, where he houses her in a brothel under the pretense of it being a lodging house run by Mrs. Sinclair. The women there, past victims of Lovelace's seductiveness, grow envious of Clarissa, urging Lovelace to violate her.

Yet Clarissa's virtuousness sometimes sways Lovelace from his malicious intentions. After several internal conflicts between his wicked desires and his conscience, Lovelace, under the women's influence, seals Clarissa's fate. Realizing Lovelace's true nature, Clarissa attempts to escape but is tricked back into Mrs. Sinclair's establishment where she is drugged and raped. Lovelace regrets his actions when Clarissa loses her sanity temporarily, but his remorse doesn't deter him from contemplating another assault to make her capitulate. Clarissa, however, senses the danger and manages to escape successfully. She becomes increasingly detached from worldly concerns post the trauma and seeks reconciliation with her family, who remain unyielding. As her health deteriorates, she opts to prepare for her impending death rather than marrying Lovelace. Her demise leads to a series of unfortunate events for her family, and Lovelace's eventual death in a duel. The good characters in her life find happiness, and her story is compiled as a cautionary tale for other women.