Reason and Religion in Clarissa

Samuel Richardson and 'the Famous Mr. Norris, of Bemerton'

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Reason and Religion in Clarissa by E. Derek Taylor, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: E. Derek Taylor ISBN: 9781351150743
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: November 30, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: E. Derek Taylor
ISBN: 9781351150743
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: November 30, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

What distinguishes Clarissa from Samuel Richardson's other novels is Richardson's unique awareness of how his plot would end. In the inevitability of its conclusion, in its engagement with virtually every category of human experience, and in its author's desire to communicate religious truth, E. Derek Taylor suggests, Clarissa truly is the Paradise Lost of the eighteenth century. Arguing that Clarissa's cohesiveness and intellectual rigor have suffered from the limitations of the Lockean model frequently applied to the novel, Taylor turns to the writings of John Norris, a well-known disciple of the theosophy of Nicolas Malebranche. Allusions to this first of Locke's philosophical critics appear in each of the novel's installments, and Taylor persuasively documents how Norris's ideas provided Richardson with a usefully un-Lockean rhetorical grounding for Clarissa. Further, the writings of early feminists like Norris's intellectual ally Mary Astell, who viewed her arguments on behalf of women as compatible with her conservative and deeply held religious and political views, provide Richardson with the combination of progressive feminism and conservative theology that animate the novel. In a convincing twist, Taylor offers a closely argued analysis of Lovelace's oft-stated declaration that he will not be 'out-Norris'd' or 'out-plotted' by Clarissa, showing how the plot of the novel and the plot of all humans exist, in the context of Richardson's grand theological experiment, within, through, and by a concurrence of divine energy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What distinguishes Clarissa from Samuel Richardson's other novels is Richardson's unique awareness of how his plot would end. In the inevitability of its conclusion, in its engagement with virtually every category of human experience, and in its author's desire to communicate religious truth, E. Derek Taylor suggests, Clarissa truly is the Paradise Lost of the eighteenth century. Arguing that Clarissa's cohesiveness and intellectual rigor have suffered from the limitations of the Lockean model frequently applied to the novel, Taylor turns to the writings of John Norris, a well-known disciple of the theosophy of Nicolas Malebranche. Allusions to this first of Locke's philosophical critics appear in each of the novel's installments, and Taylor persuasively documents how Norris's ideas provided Richardson with a usefully un-Lockean rhetorical grounding for Clarissa. Further, the writings of early feminists like Norris's intellectual ally Mary Astell, who viewed her arguments on behalf of women as compatible with her conservative and deeply held religious and political views, provide Richardson with the combination of progressive feminism and conservative theology that animate the novel. In a convincing twist, Taylor offers a closely argued analysis of Lovelace's oft-stated declaration that he will not be 'out-Norris'd' or 'out-plotted' by Clarissa, showing how the plot of the novel and the plot of all humans exist, in the context of Richardson's grand theological experiment, within, through, and by a concurrence of divine energy.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Warfare and Society in Imperial Rome, C. 31 BC-AD 280 by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the Shadow of the Parent by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Democracy Building and Civil Society in Post-Soviet Armenia by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Enforcing the Law: Case of the Clean Water Acts by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Foucault's Politics of Philosophy by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Skepticism and the Definition of Knowledge by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book The Human Experience of Space and Place by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book The Politics of Nuclear Non-Proliferation by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book The Gorbachev Regime by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Women in Medieval Europe 1200-1500 by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Herman Melville by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Difficult Contexts For Therapy Ericksonian Monographs No. by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Food Systems Failure by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Towards a Ceasefire in Kashmir by E. Derek Taylor
Cover of the book Lost Childhoods by E. Derek Taylor
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy