Summary
In the Preface, Richardson lays out the format of the
novel: it will consist of letters, mostly between two virtuous young
ladies and two rakish young men. The author assures the reader that
the men's letters, although wicked, are decent and not wholly immoral.
He defends the length of the work on the ground that letters are
written in the heat of the moment, before their content can be edited.
The immediate reactions of the characters to events, as contained
in their letters, are presumed to be instructive to young readers.
Richardson claims to have asked friends to suggest cuts, but because
they all disagreed with each other, he chose to keep the novel at
its full length. Finally, he says that he hopes the book will act
as a warning to both parents and children. Parents are advised not
to try to force their children into marriage, while daughters are
warned against preferring attractive libertines to honest, serious
men, in spite of the popular idea “that a reformed rake makes the
best husband.”
