Clarissa · Chapter
Letter 236: Mr. Lovelace explained
Lovelace dines with Mrs.
What happens
Lovelace dines with Mrs. Moore, Miss Rawlins, and the newly arrived widow Mrs. Bevis. He manipulates the conversation to discredit Miss Howe, suggesting she is jealous and in love with him, while also praising Clarissa. Lovelace reflects on women's preference for rakes over virtuous men, using Hickman as a counterexample. He plans to use his servant Will to further his schemes.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Lovelace deliberately misrepresents Miss Howe's character and motives to the company, crafting a false narrative to protect his own interests.
Libertinism and Morality
Lovelace openly argues that women prefer rakes to virtuous men, defending libertine behavior and critiquing conventional morality.
Power and Manipulation
Lovelace manipulates the perceptions of Mrs. Moore, Miss Rawlins, and Mrs. Bevis, using flattery and insinuation to control the narrative.
Characters to notice
- Robert Lovelace
Narrates the letter; manipulates the company against Miss Howe and boasts of his rakish appeal.
- Anna Howe
Slandered by Lovelace as arrogant, revengeful, and secretly in love with him.
- Clarissa Harlowe
Referred to as Lovelace's 'beloved'; her reputation is defended by Lovelace in the conversation.
- Mr. Hickman
Mentioned as a virtuous, novice-like man whom Miss Howe supposedly despises.
- Arabella Harlowe
Referenced as an example of envy-driven hatred toward Clarissa.
- Will
Lovelace's servant, intended to be used in his schemes and to fall in love with Mrs. Moore's maid.
Key passages
“I represented her to be an arrogant creature, revengeful, artful, enterprising, and one who, had she been a man, would have sworn and cursed, and committed rapes, and played the devil, as far as I knew”
Lovelace describes Miss Howe as a dangerous, vengeful woman who would be a rapist if she were a man.
Lovelace slanders Miss Howe to the company to preempt any negative letters from her.
“Two maidenheads meeting together in wedlock, the first child must be a fool, is their common aphorism.”
Lovelace cites a common saying that when two virgins marry, their first child will be foolish.
Lovelace uses this aphorism to argue that women prefer experienced libertines over innocent men.
“The man who knows them, yet has ardours for them, ... is the man who makes them the highest and most grateful compliment.”
A man who understands women but still desires them pays them the greatest compliment.
Lovelace justifies his rakish behavior by claiming women appreciate knowledgeable lovers.