Almost There

It is the next to last night of my personal essay class today. I have my essay done and ready to hand out to my classmates. They will get to read it and tell me what they think of it next Monday. Can you say nervous? I spent some time with Clarissa this weekend. Lovelace is in agonies over Clarissa's lack of interest in him. He suffers so. Clarissa has been able to delay being removed to her Uncle's house. But it is Clarissa's friend, Anna Howe, who makes this book fun at the moment. She is a saucy girl and accuses Clarissa of having throbs for the wicked Lovelace. Clarissa, of course, denies that she has had any throbs, but Anna rightly does not believe her. Anna also astutely observes why it is women enjoy courtship so much and delight in drawing it out:

Our courtship days, they say are our best days. Favour destroys courtship. Distance increases it. Its essence is distance. And to see how familiar these men-wretches grow upon a smile, what an awe they are struck into when one frowns! Who would not make them stand off? Who would not enjoy a power that is to be so short-lived?

She also very cleverly compares a marriage to two branches of the legislature. I'd much rather have Anna as a friend than the ever good Clarissa. I have made it to page 291. Only 1,208 pages to go!