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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does learning what Mr. Brand said in his letter to her family change the way Clarissa thinks about her family's treatment of her?

2. Who does Colonel Morden disinherit?

3. What does Hickman tell Belford is causing Miss Howe to delay her marriage to Hickman?

4. How does Morden feel after the duel?

5. Why does Colonel Morden hide from Clarissa?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What message do you think "Clarissa" has about the right way to run a family, if any? What advice do you think a parent in the eighteenth-century might have taken from this novel for running their own family?

Essay Topic 2

Although the form of an epistolary novel (a novel written in letters) is fairly unusual today, it was one of the most common ways for early novels to be written. Discuss the use of the epistolary form in "Clarissa." Discuss (a) the way letters are used to develop characterization, (b) the way epistolary form allows the author to create suspense, and (c) the way epistolary form allows readers to relate to characters.

Essay Topic 3

The plot of "Clarissa" is very repetitive. As we have discussed, this repetition should be considered as a conscious strategy on the part of Richardson. Discuss the effect of repetition in the novel, being sure to address (1) Clarissa's repeated efforts to escape, both from Harlowe Place and from Lovelace, (2) Lovelace's repeated changes of heart about how to behave, and (3) the repeated efforts by Mrs. Howe to stop the letters exchanged between Miss Howe and Clarissa.

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