This study examines concepts of morality and structures of domestic relationships in Samuel Richardson's novels, situating them in the context of eighteenth-century moral writings and reader reactions. In a detailed analysis, it demonstrates that Richardson aimed at a synthesis between social hierarchy and individual liberty, patriarchy and female self-fulfilment.

Autorentext

Dr. des. Simone Eva Höhn ist Anglistin mit Forschungsschwerpunkt auf dem 18. Jahrhundert.

Inhalt
Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The system of duty 1.1 Allestree, Delany and reciprocal duties 1.2 Clarissa and the system of duty 1.3 Duty and interiority 1.4 Masquerade, truth and hypocrisy 1.5 Body and mind 2. Alternative structures of relationship: gift, contract, friendship 2.1 The giving of gifts 2.2 Women, gifts, and property 2.3 'Puzzling Locke,' Mulso and the system of duty 2.4 Friendship and the system of duty 2.5 Male authority and the disruption of relationships 3. Grandison and utopia 3.1 The harmonious body 3.2 Cross-gender solidarity 3.3 Grandisonian re-presentations of truth 3.4 Gift-giving in Grandison 3.5 Women among themselves 3.6 Women, free will and control 3.7 Paradise Regained - the utopia of Grandison Hall 4. Conclusion: the double narrative of Sir Charles Grandison Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources