Clarissa Harlowe, or the History of a Young Lady - Volume 1
Author(s): Samuel Richardson
Genre(s): Epistolary Fiction
Narrators: Bob Gilham, Ben Dutton, Philippa, Julie VW, Patti Brugman, Anna Simon
Number of Chapters: 45
Length: 12 hours and 14 minutes
Language: English
Clarissa Harlowe, the tragic heroine of Clarissa, is a beautiful and virtuous young lady whose family has become very wealthy only in recent years and is now eager to become part of the aristocracy by acquiring estates and titles through advantageous pairings. Clarissa's relatives attempt to force her to marry a rich but heartless man (Roger Solmes) against her will and, more importantly, against her own sense of virtue. Desperate to remain free, she is tricked by a young gentleman of her acquaintance, Lovelace, into escaping with him. However, she refuses to marry him, longing — unusual for a girl in her time — to live by herself in peace. (Summary by Wikipedia)