Edited, with an Introduction by JOHN ANGUS BURRELL

The enormous influence of Samuel Richardson on the English novel has persisted for more than two centuries. His analysis of sentiment, his rich imaginative power, his insight into character, particularly feminine character, and his infinitely patient observation of the behavior and relationships of the people in his created world — these are the elements for which he is regarded as the first of our novelists. The overwhelming length of his masterpiece, Clarissa — over 2,000 pages in its unabridged form — has frightened away all too many readers. Under the skillful and perceptive editorship of John Angus Burrell of Columbia University, the substance and spirit of this great novel are retained and its proclivities and excesses are trimmed away to make a volume of over 800 lively pages.