Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice
Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice
daughter of both sides of very honourable families," who brought a "very large portion" to her marriage, and who, with the unexpected death of several of her relations, brought her husband even more riches (L4 53). Her marriage into the Harlowe family presents the "specific social and economic calculations" that solidified an alliance and enhanced the economic position of the Harlowe family (Boxer and Quartaert 36). In other words, Mrs. Harlowe was instrumental, if not fundamental, in the first attempts of the Harlowe family to "raise" itself. Lovelace tells Belford, "Everybody knows Harlowe Place-for, like Versailles, it is sprung up from a dunghill within every elderly personf s remembrance" (L34 161). The infancy of Harlowe Place, one can speculate, is at least a partial result of the portion Charlotte Harlowe brought to her marriage. Clarissa tells us her mother brought more than just money to her marriage, complaining that should her mother but "exert that authority which the superiority of her fine talents gives her," things might then be calmer at Harlowe Place (L5 54) . Nevertheless, Mrs. Harlowe' s talents are secondary to family, as well as patriarchal, will. Vivien Jones illuminates the precarious nature of female authority in an eighteenth-century family by
elating the story of the Marchioness Lambert, a relatively well-known member of the peerage during Richardson's lifetime. She writes to her daughters after her particularly messy divorce, telling them, "One should keep up authority in one's family, but it should be a mild authority" (Young Ladies Pocket Library 184) . Indeed, Mrs. Harlowe learns the lesson of "mild authority" early in her marriage. Anna Howe asks Clarissa, "What must have been [your mamaf s] treatment, to be thus subjugated, as I may call it" (L27 132) ? She goes on, relating Annabella Harlowe's history: Little did the good Viscount think, when he married his darling, his only, daughter to so well-appearing a gentleman, and to her own liking, too, that she would have been so much kept down. Another would call your father a tyrant, if you will not; all the world indeed would; and if you love your mother, you should not be very angry at the world for taking that liberty. (L27 132,133) Clarissa confesses to Anna that had her mother been of "a temper that would have borne less, she would have had ten times less to bear than she had" (L5 54). Paradoxically, Clarissa also know that had her mother kept up her
- Page 41 and 42: For all the recent criticism dealin
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elating the story of the Marchioness Lambert, a<br />
relatively well-known member of the peerage during<br />
Richardson's lifetime. She writes to her daughters after<br />
her particularly messy divorce, telling them, "One should<br />
keep up authority in one's family, but it should be a<br />
mild authority" (Young Ladies Pocket Library 184) .<br />
<strong>In</strong>deed, Mrs. Harlowe learns the lesson of "mild<br />
authority" early in her marriage. Anna Howe asks<br />
<strong>Clarissa</strong>, "What must have been [your mamaf s] treatment,<br />
to be thus subjugated, as I may call it" (L27 132) ? She<br />
goes on, relating Annabella Harlowe's history:<br />
Little did the good Viscount think, when he<br />
married his darling, his only, daughter to so<br />
well-appearing a gentleman, and to her own<br />
liking, too, that she would have been so much<br />
kept down. Another would call your father a<br />
tyrant, if you will not; all the world indeed<br />
would; and if you love your mother, you should<br />
not be very angry at the world for taking that<br />
liberty. (L27 132,133)<br />
<strong>Clarissa</strong> confesses to Anna that had her mother been of "a<br />
temper that would have borne less, she would have had ten<br />
times less to bear than she had" (L5 54). Paradoxically,<br />
<strong>Clarissa</strong> also know that had her mother kept up her