Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady (Penguin Classics) delves into the tumultuous life of Clarissa Harlowe, a young woman pressured by her unscrupulous family to marry a wealthy man she despises. Tricked into fleeing with the charming yet unreliable Robert Lovelace, Clarissa finds herself ensnared in a web of passion and peril. Lovelace’s promises of marriage are overshadowed by his increasingly invasive and brutal advances, leaving Clarissa torn between her sense of virtue and her growing attraction to him. The narrative unfolds through a complex series of interweaving letters, revealing the raw emotions and moral dilemmas that define their relationship. This edition, published in 1986 by Penguin Classics, includes an introduction by Angus Ross exploring characterization, epistolary style, family dynamics, and the position of women, alongside additional features such as a chronology, suggestions for further reading, tables of letters, notes, a glossary, and an appendix on music from the “Ode to Wisdom.” As one of the greatest European novels when it first appeared in 1747, Clarissa remains a compelling exploration of love, duty, and morality.