Richardson's Clarissa and the eighteenth-century reader

"Clarissa is one of the undisputed masterpieces of eighteenth-century literature and of the English novel. Recently it has also become central to poststructuralist, psychoanalytic and feminist debate. This book, whilst benefiting 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."--BOOK JACKET.