Progress Report:
I'm now somewhat past the midpoint of my giant Penguin edition of Clarissa (p. 780 of 1500). I find the book absolutely brilliant, but like a mountain climber halfway up a tall slope, I'm both thrilled, and chastened that there are still more steps to take to get to the end. It's not drudgery at all, just simple effort or focus. The story, as Dr, Johnson pointed out, is nothing very complicated, but the mass of feeling, thoughts, ideas, social habits, etc, requires the closest attention, and rewards it too. This is really Ground Zero of the modern novel. It bursts the bounds of its own epistolary form, yet uses it to great effect in terms of vividness and immediacy. Anyway, it's really a remarkable work. Now to get up the rest of the mountain.