Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches
For some time I have felt the need for a satisfactory definition of the “classic” novel,—a definition which should include novels of value, and exclude innumerable works of fiction of little or no value. The want of such a definition was evident not only from the vagueness wit...
For some time I have felt the need for a satisfactory definition of the “classic” novel,—a definition which should include novels of value, and exclude innumerable works of fict...
2. Part 2The “Gothic” romance begins with Horace Walpole’s _Castle of Otranto_ (1764), which has no real historical background, though the events are supposed to have happened in the twe...
3. Part 3It will be recalled that Scott (who must be considered Bulwer’s most important predecessor in the field), in writing his historical novels, always made use of historical charact...
4. Part 4In 1853[21] appeared Charles Kingsley’s _Hypatia_. This is a great novel, which in its presentation of universal truths far surpasses the stereotyped instruction of any religiou...
5. Part 5John Henry Newman was a churchman, who became a bitter opponent of Kingsley; his scholarship was profound, and his early religious training, received from his French Huguenot mo...
6. Part 6We have made some mention of the scholarship of German writers; the Germans were not the only classical scholars whose influence is important in our study, but in some cases mad...
7. Part 7Another example of pedanticism in the novel of Roman life is seen in _The Money God; or The Empire and the Papacy_ (1873). It is needless to mention the various matters of detai...
8. Part 8The idea of presenting the life of Rome as a gorgeous and at times bloody spectacle, with a frequent use of the sensational, reached its greatest height in _Quo Vadis_ (1895), b...
9. Part 9Some of the novels which have been mentioned were written by school teachers or college professors. Charles Kingsley at the time when he wrote _Hypatia_ was a school teacher ver...
10. Part 10_Andivius Hedulio_ is the work of a scholarly teacher of Latin, who wished to throw a strong light on the life of the historical period of Commodus’ reign; and especially to pre...
11. Part 11A review of esthetic elements to be found in the novel of Roman life would not be complete without some consideration of two recent novels by Mr. Eden Phillpotts, _Evander_, (19...
12. Part 12