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Well done! You made it to the end of this gruelling, but interesting novel. A few more questions and you can tick this one off your list!

1- Outline the reasons why Clarissa refused to take legal action against Lovelace for the crimes he committed. Considering all of Lovelace’s actions, would she have had sufficient prospects of being successful?

2- The events surrounding the death of Belton (letters 419-426) affected Belford profoundly. What have these events changed in Belford's outlook on life? How has this also affected in the way he viewed Clarissa's predicament?

3- In Letter 523, Anna Howe shares her views on marriage and the role of women with Belford. Based on that letter and her previous actions, would it be fair to characterize Miss Howe as a feminist? Would the same label also apply to Clarissa? Why?

4- Before her death, Clarissa made her cousin Colonel Morden promise that he would not seek revenge upon Lovelace. However, he later reneged his promise during his travels in northern Italy. What made him change his mind? Do you think that his own itinerary was set on purpose so that he could meet Lovelace on the way?

5- The conclusion, after the 537th and last letter, is labelled as being written supposedly by Belford. By what signs or clues can we infer that he is the conclusion’s author? If it were not Belford, who could have written this conclusion and why?

6- The postscript from Richardson provides some argumentation about the necessity (or lack of) to have a happy ending to conclude a novel. Do you agree with his views?

7- Richardson’s first novel was entitled “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded�. Over time, some have suggested that an appropriate title for his second novel should have been “Clarissa; or, Virtue Unrewarded�. Do you agree with this suggestion?

8- If you were tasked to re-write Clarissa in a 21st century version, what main changes would you consider for the characters and the manner in which the story is conveyed?

1- Because she is too good to be true. In that time and place chances of success would probably be slim as far as the world is concerned she went willing with him and he can spin it that she misunderstood his intentions and had agreed. He is also offering to marry her which would probably be considered good enough payment for the offence.

2-It could happen to him, he wants to be a better person, he now loves Clarissa blah blah blah.

3-Anna yes she is young independent and determined and I could see her as a feminist she rebels against everyone and everything. Clarissa not so much although she is headstrong.

4- He is a man why would he listen to a woman? Why end the bloodshed when you could keep it going pretending it is for the greater good when really it is selfish.

5-

6-

7- Yes or Virtue abused, dis-guarded and trampelled in the the mud.

8- Chronological letters not skipping about all over the place. Add some narrative outside of letters allow an omniscient narrator to provide an overview.

1. Clarissa feared that taking legal action would damage her reputation and she was deeply concerned about her family's honour. The concept of honour and reputation were paramount at the time, hence the popularity of duels to protect it. Nothing has changed in the centuries since, women are still reluctant to take legal action in cases of rape. And, bizarrely, Lovelace's willingness to marry her would have been strong mitigation at the time.
2. Belford interpreted the agonising death of Belton on his dissolute lifestyle. He compared this to the moral steadfastness of Clarissa, who he was beginning to know and understand. He began to realise that his own reckless behaviour was reprehensible and began to become more thoughtful. He became a confidant of Clarissa and tried to intervene on her behalf.
3. Feminism was not a construct at the time, but Anna's independence, her wanting more autonomy for women, her poor opinion of marriage and her delight in her own intelligence would make her a feminist in my opinion. Clarissa is much more attuned to pleasing everyone else, but her defiance of her family's wishes and quest for independence are also characteristics of feminism.
4. Morden realises that Clarissa has been raped when he has the opportunity to read her letters, so he feels justified in upholding the family honour by fighting Lovelace. It is not clear whether he travels to Italy to hunt Lovelace down or not. Lovelace, typically, is quite happy to meet him, sure of his own prowess and expecting to win the duel.
5. I was sure that this letter was written by Belford because it sounded like him.
6. It was common for novels to be instructive and positive in tone at the time, and so Richardson's conclusion was widely criticised and this is his refutation. His intention was to create a more realistic and emotionally complex narrative which emphasised the consequences of virtue and vice and the injustices faced by women.
7. Although a clever play on the titles of Richardson's two novels. Clarissa, Virtue Unrewarded is a rather trite title for a novels of complexity and nuance.
8. I would employ texts and emails a la Sally Rooney, rather than letters, and possibly blogs and posts on Facebook or TikTok.

3. I agree with Pip, in their own way, both Anna and Clarissa reflect an early feminism, in that they would like to live without marriage and they believe strongly in their own abilities and are not afraid to voice their belief. Of course, none of that would have been called feminism back then.
7. It would have made the readers of the day realize the ending if they knew up front that her virtue would not be rewarded and it isn't a strong enough encapsulation of what really happens to Clarissa and her virtue.
8. I would like to read Pip's version a la Sally Rooney. I would write something much more direct, shorter, less nuanced and altogether not nearly as good. However, I do think that you could keep much of the fabric by having Anna and Clarissa be vibrant and contemporary and STILL struggling with family expectations, and male manipulation.

1) Agree with Pip here about being afraid for her reputation and dishonoring her family: the culture at the time would have made that equally punishing to her prospects of a good life.

3) agree with Pip and Gail here.

4) I also do think that him finding out the depths of Clarissa's abuse made him turn-heel about not getting revenge. As to whether he intended to meet Lovelace or not...I don't know. It would seem contrived to have him meet in Italy the guy he has beef with from provincial England, but these sort of contrived events of 'chance' are pretty common to 18th century (and some 19th century) lit like this one.

5) I had this spoiled for me because I did look up the gist of the book before starting it, but I agree with others that his character voice is distinct from the other major players, and would have come across anyway.

6) I agree with his justification for this: a book about the injustices women in the 1700s face shouldn't end with a 'happily ever after' marriage scene.

8) I love the social media/texts over letters idea. It would probably also take on something of an overt kidnapping/trafficking tone if it was contemporary, with Lovelace probably hacking Clarissa's social media and continuing to post as her. I think this story would actually work really well in our age considering how we can obscure the truth of a situation by only selectively presenting certain things on public media, and considering we still have a culture of victim shaming.

1- Outline the reasons why Clarissa refused to take legal action against Lovelace for the crimes he committed. Considering all of Lovelace’s actions, would she have had sufficient prospects of being successful?

Part of the reason might be that she truly practiced Christian forgiveness and also to protect her own family's reputation. It is hard to win these lawsuits even in more present times so not sure there would be any benefit of seeking legal action.

2- The events surrounding the death of Belton (letters 419-426) affected Belford profoundly. What have these events changed in Belford's outlook on life? How has this also affected in the way he viewed Clarissa's predicament?

Belford had the opportunity of viewing a couple of deaths and it helped to make him more aware of life is short and ought to be lived well. That a rake's life doesn't bring happy results to the rake or to those that the rake takes advantage

3- In Letter 523, Anna Howe shares her views on marriage and the role of women with Belford. Based on that letter and her previous actions, would it be fair to characterize Miss Howe as a feminist? Would the same label also apply to Clarissa? Why?

I believe she was a feminist. Clarissa was not, Clarissa was a devout woman who honored the roles of women in the Bible.

4- Before her death, Clarissa made her cousin Colonel Morden promise that he would not seek revenge upon Lovelace. However, he later reneged his promise during his travels in northern Italy. What made him change his mind? Do you think that his own itinerary was set on purpose so that he could meet Lovelace on the way? I don't know that I thought it was on purpose or was it destiny. I do think he suffered from his actions of retribution but there had to be a way to make Lovelace pay (by the author).

5- The conclusion, after the 537th and last letter, is labelled as being written supposedly by Belford. By what signs or clues can we infer that he is the conclusion’s author? If it were not Belford, who could have written this conclusion and why?

I think Belford is the only one who had access to all the information.

6- The postscript from Richardson provides some argumentation about the necessity (or lack of) to have a happy ending to conclude a novel. Do you agree with his views? I think readers like happy endings though I don't actually think they are necessarily reality. I do
like that he found endings of the characters for the readers because I think readers also like no loose ends.

7- Richardson’s first novel was entitled “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded�. Over time, some have suggested that an appropriate title for his second novel should have been “Clarissa; or, Virtue Unrewarded�. Do you agree with this suggestion?

8- If you were tasked to re-write Clarissa in a 21st century version, what main changes would you consider for the characters and the manner in which the story is conveyed?
I think it would nearly be impossible to rewrite Clarissa in this day and age but I thought of her as a victim of trauma and a person could take that route. But her Christian faith should have led to the ability to overcome so I just don't see how it would be possible. It would not be the same book given the sexual freedoms that exist now, the ability to women to live independently.

1- Outline the reasons why Clarissa refused to take legal action against Lovelace for the crimes he committed. Considering all of Lovelace’s actions, would she have had sufficient prospects of being successful?

In the first place, she did not want to subject her family to the public shame and humiliation. Secondly, she seemed doubtful that he would be found guilty, especially since he offered to marry her. That offer would seem to absolve him, which is messed up!

2- The events surrounding the death of Belton (letters 419-426) affected Belford profoundly. What have these events changed in Belford's outlook on life? How has this also affected in the way he viewed Clarissa's predicament?
The events that precipitated Belton’s death were humiliating, and he died in great emotional (possibly physical) distress, with regret for his rakish behavior. He is also terrified of dying; the implication is that he has sinned so much he will not go to heaven and will therefore suffer for eternity in hell. In contrast, Clarissa is not afraid and even welcomes death as an end to earthly suffering. She has behaved impeccably and is assured she will enter heaven and be eternally peaceful.

3- In Letter 523, Anna Howe shares her views on marriage and the role of women with Belford. Based on that letter and her previous actions, would it be fair to characterize Miss Howe as a feminist? Would the same label also apply to Clarissa? Why?
If either of them is a feminist, it is Anna. She frequently decries how wretchedly women are treated both in marriage and outside of it. She objects to phrases in the marriage vows, noting that they do not signify a union of man and wife, but rather “bind� wife to “honor and obey� her husband. In another letter she expresses bitterness about the fact that men have the opportunity to go to college (and then do little with that education but show off). I can’t find the passage right now, but to paraphrase: men don’t let women get an education, perhaps fearing that if they had access to it, they would surpass men in everything.

Clarissa is less of a feminist. She completely buys into the belief that a woman’s virtue is everything. Isn’t this why she essentially starves herself to death � that she is no longer pure, albeit through no fault of her own? According to Anna, she also believed that “feminine� tasks like housekeeping, sewing, etc. should take precedence over things like education.

4- Before her death, Clarissa made her cousin Colonel Morden promise that he would not seek revenge upon Lovelace. However, he later reneged his promise during his travels in northern Italy. What made him change his mind? Do you think that his own itinerary was set on purpose so that he could meet Lovelace on the way?
It seems to me that the death of Clarissa brought to an end all the plans he had to return to England and retire. Without Clarissa he’s sees little point in doing that and has little interest in business or travel. In other words, he has nothing to live for so why not risk his life to get vengeance for his cousin, even if it means disobeying her. I don’t think he set his itinerary on purpose; he is all but summoned by Lovelace to meet him in Munich.

5- The conclusion, after the 537th and last letter, is labelled as being written supposedly by Belford. By what signs or clues can we infer that he is the conclusion’s author? If it were not Belford, who could have written this conclusion and why?
It expresses the same moralizing tone that his letters express. If it’s not him, than Richardson himself�?

6- The postscript from Richardson provides some argumentation about the necessity (or lack of) to have a happy ending to conclude a novel. Do you agree with his views?
I guess. In real life, virtue is not always rewarded so it should not always be rewarded in fiction. He also says that the moral or lesson of the piece would lose power if the reader knew that the wicked will always be punished or reformed. This is a good point.

7- Richardson’s first novel was entitled “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded�. Over time, some have suggested that an appropriate title for his second novel should have been “Clarissa; or, Virtue Unrewarded�. Do you agree with this suggestion?
Yes, because she remains virtuous to the end. The one possible “sin� she commits is to continue to write to Lovelace when her family asked her to stop. This minor error snowballs and leads to her kidnap, her rape, her death. Yet, the only reason she keeps writing is to keep her brother and Lovelace from another duel. However, Clarissa would probably say that she is “rewarded� because her death delivers her to heaven.

8- If you were tasked to re-write Clarissa in a 21st century version, what main changes would you consider for the characters and the manner in which the story is conveyed?
I would make Clarissa less passive, less virtuous. I would have Anna marry Belford, who seems to have more spirit and personality than Hickman. But updating it too much would change Richardson’s message, so I’m not sure it should be rewritten; it is a product of its time.