Writing in Character: Ethics, Plot, and Emphasis in Samuel Richardson's Clarissa

The opposition between story and instruction set out in the preface to Samuel Richardson's Clarissa establishes a relationship novel's moral import its form, genre, style. It is dichotomy that appears privilege an ethical schema ideal, theoretic, reflective alongside prose style impersonal, emphatic, also reflective. In this article, I show economy of novel is, fact, quick display limitations departicularized abstract thinking, Richardson invites his reader's suspicion modes reading writing would circumvent linearity particularity story. conclude by demonstrating uses italic character–particularly third edition novel–not stress maxim-like neutrality truths, but illuminate expressive multivalence associated with typography.