Clarissa · Chapter
Letter 397: Mr. Lovelace to Miss Clarissa Harlowe explained
Lovelace writes a desperate letter to Clarissa, begging for her forgiveness and offering to marry her on her own terms.
What happens
Lovelace writes a desperate letter to Clarissa, begging for her forgiveness and offering to marry her on her own terms. He acknowledges his baseness and her purity, expresses remorse, and pleads for a chance to atone through future good conduct, warning that her refusal will drive him to despair.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Clarissa, desp…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Suffering and Redemption
Lovelace seeks redemption through Clarissa's forgiveness, framing his suffering as a path to moral reform.
- Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Lovelace's professed remorse may be a manipulation, contrasting his declared sincerity with his past deceit.
Characters to notice
- Robert Lovelace
Writes a pleading letter to Clarissa, expressing remorse and offering marriage.
- Clarissa Harlowe
The recipient of Lovelace's letter; her forgiveness is sought as essential to his redemption.
- Lord M.
Mentioned as one of those Lovelace despises for presuming to control him.
- Lady Sarah Sadleir
Referenced alongside Lord M. as someone Lovelace scorns for trying to dictate to him.
- Miss Charlotte Montague
Mentioned as one of Lord M.'s sisters whom Lovelace despises.
Key passages
“Your angelic purity, and my awakened conscience, are standing records of your exalted merit, and of my detestable baseness: but your forgiveness will lay me under an eternal obligation to you.”
Your pure character and my guilty conscience prove how virtuous you are and how vile I have been; yet if you forgive me, I will be forever indebted to you.
Lovelace acknowledges Clarissa's virtue and his own guilt, seeking forgiveness as a binding favor.
“For to be reprobated finally by you, will leave me without expectation of mercy from above!”
If you ultimately reject me, I will have no hope of divine mercy.
Lovelace equates Clarissa's forgiveness with God's pardon, emphasizing his desperation.
