Um, I think the one your thinking of is Clarissa...
Posted by Simone on August 24, 1998 at 15:38:34:
In response to Pamela I think., written by Margie on August 23, 1998 at 19:02:17
"Clarissa" is where the heroine dies at the end and the male lead
Lovelace (referred to in Sanditon), is charming but psychotic.
I found it entertaining, in a tacky, three-hanky weeper kind of way.
"Pamela", Richardson's first book is actually more fun: a housemaid
is propositioned by her master, she resists, matching his intrigues with counter-intrigues, and eventually gets him to marry her. The heroine is
as sanctimonious as Clarissa, but there's a suggestion that her "me vs them" outlook is overly simplistic. If her employer has to learn chivalry
and virtue, she has to learn trust. Warning: there's a second volume
devoted to her adventures after her marriage which is completely unreadable.
Jane Austen did read Richardson's books, but the one she admired the
most "Sir Charles Grandison", is impossible to find (I haven't read it) and despised by all the critics. I can't think of a heartier recommendation for it than the affection of the one, or the disapproval of the other.
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