Richardson's 'clarissa' And The Eighteenth-century Reader

Clarissa is one of the undisputed masterpieces of eighteenth-century literature and the English novel. Recently it has also become central to poststructuralist, psychoanalytic and feminist debate. This book, whilst benefitting from recent theoretical studies, restores Clarissa to its largely neglected eighteenth-century context. Reading the novel against a variety of literary, historical and cultural backgrounds, it pays particular attention to the problematic relationship between Richardson's didactic intentions, the complexity of the text itself, and the diverse reading experiences of its first audience.Keymer, Tom is the author of 'Richardson's 'clarissa' And The Eighteenth-century Reader', published 2004 under ISBN 9780521604406 and ISBN 0521604400.