Clarissa · Chapter
Letter 170: Mr. Lovelace, to John Belford, Esq. explained
Lovelace defends his predatory designs on Clarissa to Belford, using extended metaphors of bird-catching and hunting to argue that resistance can be overcome and that women, like birds, eventually adapt to captivity.
What happens
Lovelace defends his predatory designs on Clarissa to Belford, using extended metaphors of bird-catching and hunting to argue that resistance can be overcome and that women, like birds, eventually adapt to captivity. He dismisses Belford's moral objections, accuses him of ulterior motives involving Lord M., and insists on his right to pursue Clarissa as a 'noble chase.'
Themes in this chapter
Libertinism and Morality
Lovelace explicitly defends libertine predation, arguing that resistance is part of the conquest and that moral objections are hypocritical.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Lovelace plans to use surprise and feigned gentleness to overcome Clarissa's virtue, revealing the gap between his charming exterior and predatory intent.
Power and Manipulation
Lovelace's extended bird-cage metaphor illustrates his view of power dynamics: he intends to manipulate Clarissa into submission through calculated cruelty and patience.
Characters to notice
- Robert Lovelace
Author of the letter; defends his predatory plans for Clarissa with bird-catching and hunting metaphors.
- John Belford
Recipient of the letter; Lovelace rebukes him for moralizing and suspects he corresponds with Lord M.
- Clarissa Harlowe
Referred to as 'this admirable woman' and 'my beloved Miss Harlowe'; the intended target of Lovelace's schemes.
- Lord M.
Mentioned as impatient for Lovelace to marry; Lovelace suspects Belford corresponds with him.
- Miss Charlotte Montague
Mentioned as a possible motive for Belford's interference; Lovelace threatens to tell her of Belford's views.
Key passages
“But is it to be expected, that a woman of education , and a lover of forms , will yield before she is attacked? And have I so much as summoned this to surrender? I doubt not but I shall meet with difficulty. I must therefore make my first effort by surprise.”
Lovelace argues that a well-bred woman like Clarissa will not submit without a fight, so he must use surprise rather than direct confrontation.
Reveals Lovelace's strategic approach to seduction, prioritizing stealth over open persuasion.
“I will illustrate what I have said by the simile of a bird new caught. We begin, when boys, with birds; and when grown up, go on to women; and both perhaps, in turn, experience our sportive cruelty.”
Lovelace compares his pursuit of Clarissa to the childhood pastime of trapping birds, suggesting that women, like birds, can be tamed through gradual exposure and loss of hope.
Central metaphor of the letter; reveals Lovelace's dehumanizing view of women as creatures to be broken.
“How do I know, except I try, whether she may not be brought to sing me a fine song, and to be as well contented as I have brought other birds to be, and very shy ones too?”
Lovelace wonders if Clarissa, like other women he has seduced, might eventually become happy and compliant in captivity.
Shows Lovelace's confidence in his method and his belief that all women can be subdued.