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Article: Richardson's 'Clarissa.' (Samuel Richardson)
- Article from:
- The Explicator
- Article date:
- September 22, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The view of Lovelace as a deconstructionist, gleefully demolishing the naive assumptions of the logocentric Clarissa, seems to have originated with William Beatty Warner and has become something of a commonplace of Richardson criticism.(1) To present Lovelace in this way, however, is to disregard the tragic dimensions of his character and the extent to which he becomes aware of his depravity and his loss. This is evident in Warner's discussion of a passage that he considers to be a chief example of Lovelace's deconstructive activities. In it, according to Warner, "Lovelace offers a direct challenge to the authority of Clarissa's version of her life."(2)
So far as ...