Lovelace's Point of View

-This entry is for a class. I have to take a letter from the novel, Clarissa, and make it into a blog entry.  I have taken Lovelace's letter from pg. 177 (the last section of his letter) and tried to make it modern.

Making Progress

I am doing well now with my honey, Clarissa. I'm sure that she will increase bountifully in her feelings for me every day from now on. I was rude to her at first because I wanted to show her that I have a backbone and to earn her fear. So if I'm kind to her from now on, it will heighten her feelings of me.

My next goal is to make her like me more than all other men, and then my main purpose will not be far away; soon I will be the happiest man alive! If she tells me she loves me, then this opens the door for all kinds of freedoms which can only grow over time.

If my little petunia continues to call me names (like an uncaring jerk), I'll just say that she is cruel. Women, for some reason, loved to be described as this; it makes them feel powerful or something. So, many times I have complained of her rudeness to her face so that she feels like she has some kind of hold on me (which is clearly untrue).

I also want to let Clarissa know that she is very wise so that she will hold me in higher esteem than she currently does.

I just love making traps for people and watching them fall in while not even realizing they are being duped. I will peer at my sweet, virtuous beauty over the cliff she just tumbled off and ask her how she managed to be down so far. (Aren't I clever and creepy?)

A Review: Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding
Genre: Dramatic Fiction (?)

This novel was written in the 1700s as a satire to Samuel Richardson's novel, Pamela, where a very moral young woman is always sought after by not very moral young men. In Joseph Andrews, Joseph (Pamela's brother) is a supremely handsome young man who is loved by many women but himself loves one beautiful poor girl. This novel follows his travels with Parson Adams and this young woman across the British countryside.

I read this novel for my History of the Novel class, and I found it hilarious. The characters, which are more like caricatures, are just hilarious and very dramatic. They main characters are naive and get into very funny situations. Also, Henry Fielding just has a witty writing style and makes fun of many different things (hence the satire aspect).

Since this is a very early novel (some argue it is the first one), it's a little difficult to read sometimes. The narrator is very intrusive, which can be irritating at times, as well as his random tangents. He is like a character himself, and can be funny too.

Joseph Andrews is a very entertaining, funny, and exciting novel, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading, since it is an important part of the history of this genre. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

What I learned: It is important to read people truthfully so one will not be taken advantage of, and see people for who they really are.