The power of sympathy

In Short

Published in Boston in 1789 and framed as a series of letters, this book follows the headstrong Harrington as he abandons a cynical plan of seduction, falls genuinely in love with the virtuous Harriot, and resolves to marry her. Just as their happiness seems complete, a dreadful family secret surfaces: Harriot is his father’s illegitimate daughter. Unable to reconcile their profound romantic attachment with the horror of incest, both lovers succumb to despair. Long considered a landmark of early American sentimental fiction, it endures as a cautionary tragedy about untamed passion, moral education, and parental transgression.

The Story

The narrative opens through epistolary exchanges centered around young Harrington, a wealthy Bostonian with a cynical view of romance. Writing to his morally upright friend Worthy, Harrington outlines a scheme to take Harriot—a beautiful, penniless companion to a local gentlewoman—as his mistress. Worthy preaches restraint and honor, urging Harrington to consider the moral toll of seduction. Moved by Harriot’s genuine nobility, intelligence, and virtue, Harrington abandons his predatory design. His feelings turn into deep devotion, and he seeks to marry her instead.

Harrington approaches his father for approval, but the elder man resists early marriages. Despite this friction, the love between Harrington and Harriot deepens, supported by the warm community around them, including Harrington's sister Myra and Worthy, who spends time at the countryside retreat of Belleview with Mrs. Holmes. This rural circle frequently reflects on the devastating consequences of seduction, sharing tragic tales of lost women like Fidelia and Ophelia to illustrate how deceit destroys lives.

Tragedy strikes when the hidden truth of Harriot’s parentage comes to light. Harriot has no known family, but a sudden revelation exposes that she is the natural daughter of Harrington’s own father. The young lovers are, in truth, half-brother and half-sister.

The discovery shatters both of them. Harriot is torn between her lingering romantic passion and the overwhelming horror of incest. Incapable of erasing her devotion or enduring the reality of her new kinship, her health rapidly collapses under the emotional strain, and she dies. Devastated by her death and unable to navigate the dreary wilderness of a world without her, Harrington falls into deep despair. Rejecting Worthy's philosophical arguments that time and reason can heal his grief, Harrington writes a final farewell to his friend, leaves his sister Myra in Worthy’s care, and ends his life with a pistol, choosing to join Harriot in the grave.

How It Unfolds

The scheme proposed Harrington writes to his friend Worthy, laughing off his moral advice and detailing a plan to take the dependent Harriot into an elegant apartment as his mistress. Worthy urges him to abandon such cynical ideas and seek honorable paths instead.

A change of heart Impressed by Harriot’s genuine virtue and refined mind, Harrington renounces his predatory intentions and decides to win her hand in marriage. Worthy applauds the shift, though he cautions Harrington to gain his father’s blessing before proceeding.

Reflections at Belleview While visiting Mrs. Holmes in the country, Worthy writes of domestic peace and the moral lessons taught by nature and rural life. The company discusses the evils of seduction, sharing sorrowful histories of women whose lives were ruined by unprincipled men.

The fatal discovery The joyous anticipation of marriage vanishes when the family uncovers that Harriot is the illegitimate daughter of Harrington’s father. Harriot and Harrington are confronted with the horrifying reality that they are brother and sister.

Grief and collapse Harriot falls gravely ill from the conflict between her deep romantic love and the terrifying taboo of incest. Unable to master her feelings or view Harrington merely as a brother, she dies of a broken heart.

The final tragedy Overwhelmed by Harriot’s death, Harrington decides he cannot live in a world devoid of her presence. Ignoring Worthy's pleas to endure his trial, he bids his family farewell and shoots himself.

The People

• Harrington: A headstrong young Bostonian who shifts from a cynical pursuer of pleasure to a devoted lover. He seeks happiness in marriage, but his inability to survive the loss of Harriot leads to his tragic suicide.
• Harriot: A beautiful, virtuous, and dependent orphan who desires honorable affection. When she discovers her lover is her half-brother, the clash between passion and horror breaks her delicate health, ending in her death.
• Worthy: Harrington’s sensible and pious friend who acts as a moral anchor. He strives to steer Harrington away from folly, offering philosophical counsel that ultimately fails to prevent the final catastrophe.
• Mrs. Holmes: A wise matron residing at the Belleview retreat. She serves as a moral instructor, offering reflections on female education, prudence, and the disastrous societal consequences of seduction.
• Myra Harrington: Harrington’s affectionate sister and Harriot’s close friend. She suffers deeply as she watches her family torn apart by the revelation and subsequent loss of both lovers.

In Its Own Voice

“She might as well be immured in a nunnery. Now, Jack, I will shew you my benevolent scheme; it is to take this beautiful sprig, and transplant it to a more favorable soil, where it shall flourish and blossom under my own auspices.”

Harrington describes his initial, self-serving plan to entice Harriot away from her life as a companion and establish her in private lodgings.

“How was I to know you were my brother?—Yes! I might have known it—how else could you have been so kind—so tender—so affectionate!”

Harriot cries out in despair to Harrington as she struggles to reconcile her romantic devotion with the sudden horror of their true relationship.

“The fatal pistol is charged—it lies on the table by me, ready to perform its duty—but that duty is delayed till I take my last farewel of the best of friends.”

In his final letter to Worthy, Harrington announces his intention to end his life following Harriot’s death.

What It's Really About

Underneath its tragic plot, the novel presents an argument about the imperative of moral discipline and the destructive power of unrestrained emotion. It examines how the hidden sins of parents—specifically the acts of male seduction—reap a devastating harvest upon innocent children. The text explores the concept of "sympathy," showing how deep emotional resonance between individuals can elevate the soul, yet easily turn fatal when unguided by reason or societal order. Through embedded stories of fallen women, slave mothers, and heartbroken lovers, it critiques a culture that values superficial female charm over mental cultivation. It warns that when virtue is compromised and passions run untamed, the inevitable result is individual despair and the collapse of the family.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in early American literature, historical sentimentality, and the origins of the American novel will find this text compelling. The narrative carries a distinctive late-eighteenth-century tone, moving rapidly between dramatic declarations of love, solemn sermons, and sorrowful poetry.

Reading it requires adjusting to its historical conventions. The text is structured entirely as a sequence of letters, which can make the pacing feel deliberate and the dialogue formal. Modern readers must navigate period spelling, heightened melodrama, and heavy moralizing from characters who pause the plot to lecture on religion, vanity, and female decorum.

Yet beneath its rigid formal conventions lies a raw, surprising narrative intensity. The tragic arc—moving swiftly from cynical scheming to genuine affection, and finally into the dark territory of unintended incest—creates real emotional tension. What stays with you is the book's grim insistence that sentiment alone cannot save people from structural and moral catastrophe, leaving a memorable portrait of youth crushed by secrets beyond their control.