Clarissa Resources

Samuel Coleridge totally thought Richardson had a "vile" mind. But he liked it!

Lovelace was such a hit with lady readers that Richardson got some serious pressure to rewrite the ending.

Richardson wrote Clarissa in pieces, giving readers the chance to write in with their takes on the potential ending. If you want to watch the series as it was intended to be read, check out this mini-series.

We might have to wait a while longer for that tell-all with our girl. In the meantime, check out this (fictional) interview with Pamela Andrews, the prototype for Clarissa Harlowe. Juicy questions include "What's your favorite word?" (Virtue, obviously).

It's the closest we'll get to picking Samuel Richardson's brain: here's a letter he published in the Rambler about ladies misbehaving in church. Clarissa, is that you?

Want to know more about the guy some called the "Father of the Novel"? And which of his books did Jane Austen call her favorite ever?

Watch Clarissa sneak out to meet Lovelace in the garden in the 1991 mini-series. We have to say, the Lovelace casting is spot-on.

Again, Clarissa gets the short end of the stick for her predecessor, Pamela. Switch "Mr. B." and "Pamela" for "Lovelace" and "Clarissa," and nearly everything still applies—except the tragic ending. What can we say—Richardson loved to recycle plots!

Eyes weary from reading one of the longest books in the English language? Librivox has got your back.

Ever wonder what Clarissa would look like as an anime character? You're welcome.

Check out this eighteenth-century rendition of Clarissa flying the coop.

What comes to mind when you think of literature's most handsome villain? If you said Ned Stark from Game of Thrones, you're in luck: actor Sean Bean has played both roles.