Clarissa complete

This afternoon, I completed my first reading of Clarissa, it having taken a little under four months, a little under 120 days to consume the 1,500 pages of the Penguin edition. An average of twelve and half pages a day, significant at P>0.01.

Or to be more precise, mostly the Penguin edition, with a spell on the Kindle at the end of June, followed by reversion to Penguin on the Isle of Wight and then a rather longer spell with the Everyman edition for the rest of July. Just reverting to the Penguin on the last day, today, for the author's postscript, missing from the Everyman, which made up by having a rather longer version of Belford's conclusion preceding. Indeed, there were a number of differences between the two versions. Perhaps not surprising if we think of the of long streams of changes made in proof by the writers of other long books, such as Joyce and Proust. There is no definitive version.

Rather fuller notice will follow in due course, but suffice it to say for the present, that this is a very good book, still very readable despite its 250 or more years. Fully deserves its accolade as one of the treasures of English literature. The book might be long, the sentences might sometimes be a bit long, but the language is accessible and the plot grips - despite, by modern standards, there not seeming to be very much of it.

PS: I wonder how many women's rights people make use of it. They certainly could.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/04/clarissa.html. The Penguin edition.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-hunt-for-two-seas.html. The Kindle edition.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/07/clarissa.html. The Everyman edition.