Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

and not part of the resettlement of his estate. She
knows that in this realm she is vulnerable to litigation
and lawsuits by her family, a compelling reason for her
willingness to hand the dairy house to her father. Her
first letter relates to Anna Howe that when Lovelace
first came to Harlowe Place, she was "busied in the
accounts relating to" the dairy house which are "once a
year left to my inspection" (L2 41-42). Thereafter,
Clarissa shows a remarkable grasp of the nuances of
settlement law, as well, that are applied to her family
and to her own future. She sharply assesses Solmes and
his fortune:
The upstart man, I repeat, for he was not born
to the immense riches he is possessed of;
riches left by one niggard to another, in
injury to the next heir, because that other is
a niggard. (L13 81)
Clarissa's knowledge of the law, both civil and
inheritance, will culminate in the intricate legal text
of her final will and testament.
Richardson assumes not only that his heroine is
knowledgeable regarding the law, but also that his
reading population, especially his female audience,
grasps the law and the often-unkind results of