Clarissa: The History of a Young Lady is regency bestseller, the classic of English literature.
It tells the tragic story of a young woman, whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family. The Harlowes are a recently wealthy family whose preoccupation with increasing their standing in society leads to obsessive control of their daughter, Clarissa, who runs away from home to find love and happiness. However things start turning south soon.

Samuel Richardson (1689-1761) was an English writer best known for three epistolary novels: Pamela, Clarissa, and The History of Sir Charles Grandison.