Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

Chapter Two
Unhappy Transactions: Richardson's Clarissa and
Strict Settlement
Introduction
Samuel Richardson's Clarissa is the quintessential
inheritance novel of the eighteenth century. The growing
body of criticism directed toward this novel's emphasis
on land and family highlights the foibles and often-
inhumane outcomes of strict settlement and inheritance
dominating Richardson's lifetime and revealing anew the
true tragedy beneath the demise of Clarissa Harlowe. The
power of inheritance, signaled through the power of its
language, is overwhelming in Clarissa, and the plot
thrives on these very factors.
Clarissa exemplifies the three factors that
characterize an inheritance novel. Richardson is
directly involved with the language and, often, the
practice of strict settlement through his own experiences