Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

ecourse is to escape them. Because of their obsession
with gaining a title, Clarissa must run away from her
filial and legal responsibilities in order to find
"freedom." Escaping the confinement of her home, she
finds herself closeted first among the wicked likes of
Mrs. Sinclair. She eventually finds herself cloistered
among the marginalized. As she nears death, she accepts
her legal obligations to write her will. Through
writing, Clarissa is able to express her individual will
in a language that she, among Richardson's other
writings, uses expertly to will away her possessions, but
more important, ultimately to tell her story.
Burney' s John Evelyn circumvents his legal
responsibilities to his family by running to France to
marry the future Madame Duval. Regretting his faux pas,
he lawfully wills his child, Caroline, to Mr. Villars to
break ties with his wife and provide what he hopes will
be a more secure future for his daughter. He and
Clarissa Harlowe seem unable to grasp the significance of
the power of inheritance until death is upon them. They
produce powerful legal documents on their deathbeds.
The legal guardianship of Caroline, commuted on John
Evelyn's deathbed, sets up the future actions in Evelina.
That body of law allowing John Evelyn to give his child