Perhaps the most immediately obvious thing a reader notices about this book is its length. This is one of the longest novels ever written. Even as a physical object, its size is imposing. Indeed, even the reading experience is shaped by the reader's constant awareness of the weight of the book as a physical object. The second thing one notices is that the novel is written in epistolary form. These two factors--the length and the form--offer a bit of an impediment for many readers. This is an intimidating book, no doubt about it, and many will be turned off by the prospect of actually working their way through such a document.
Some might even question whether the book merits its length. There are other long books or series, but they often involve massive casts of characters and entire chapters of world-building. This novel focuses very intensely on a single character supported by a relatively small supporting cast. And the plot itself is simple enough that the story could easily have been told in only a couple hundred pages. Why, then, is the book some 1,500 pages in length? Did Richardson just desperately need an editor? I'm sure there are those who would say so, but the reality is that those extra pages contain the heart of what makes this novel a classic. Through both its length and its form, Clarissa manages to deliver one of the most in-depth explorations of the human heart and mind ever set to paper.
The length aids this goal simply by providing time and space for the characters to reflect upon the events as they happen. The form aids the goal because letter-writing is itself a rather intimate exercise. Particularly at the time when this book was written. The act of writing a letter required an investment on the parts of both the sender and the recipient and allowed the direct and unfiltered communication of the human mind. Further, because this wasn't the modern world in which communication is taken for granted, sending a letter required a real investment. Indeed, even as late as the 19th Century, people developed techniques of "cross-writing" (writing a page then turning it 90 degrees and writing over it again) to save on the cost of letter writing. The epistolary format, then, is arguably the reader's most direct pathway into the character's minds. Reading this novel, it is as if the reader has managed to spy on the characters' most intimate correspondences.
The result is one of the most richly rewarding reading experiences you'll likely have. However, I freely admit that the book really makes you work for it. Even for someone like me who lives by the written word, starting Clarissa was an intimidating prospect, and that intimidation does not quickly fade as the novel progresses. Though the story is gripping enough and the characters are fascinating, and I struggle to find any fault, it nevertheless always felt like work to get through the book. Therefore, if you're looking for something easily accessible, this is not the book for you. For those of us willing to invest--of our minds and of our time--in giving the book the attention it's due, however, the novel will offer rewards as rich as those found in any literature.
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Top reviews from other countries
Otto
Un bellissimo mattone!
Reviewed in Italy on March 5, 2022
Otto
Reviewed in Italy on March 5, 2022
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Paulo Leite
Clarissa: ficção extensa, maravilhosa e obra-prima de Samuel Richardson
Reviewed in Brazil on July 25, 2017