A History of English Prose Fiction |
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admiration adventures amusement appearance Arthur attained beauty become brought called cause century character chivalry classes coarseness condition contain court crime Defoe described effect eighteenth century England English evil excited expressed feeling fiction Fielding followed gave George give hand heart human ideas illustrated imagination influence interest Italy king knights Lady learning less letters literary literature living looked Lord manners merit Middle mind Miss moral nature never novel novelist object passed passion period person poor popular present produced qualities queen ranks reader reflection remarkable represented respect Robin Hood romance says scenes social society spirit story success taste thing thou thought tion took turn vice virtue Walpole whole wife women writing written wrote young
Popular passages
Page 108 - The Pilgrim's Progress, In The Similitude Of A Dream AS I walk'd through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a Dream.
Page 234 - YE who listen with credulity to the whispers of fancy, and pursue with eagerness the phantoms of hope; who expect that age will perform the promises of youth, and that the deficiencies of the present day will be supplied by the morrow ; attend to the history of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia.
Page 234 - He shall be supported, said my uncle Toby; He'll drop at last, said the corporal, and what will become of his boy? He shall not drop, said my uncle Toby, firmly. A-well-o'-day, do what we can for him, said Trim, maintaining his point, the poor soul will die : He shall not die, by G — , cried my uncle Toby.
Page 171 - He reads much ; He is a great observer and he looks Quite through the deeds of men ; he loves no plays, As thou dost, Antony ; he hears no music ; Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort As if he mock'd himself and scorn'd his spirit That could be moved to smile at any thing.
Page 176 - I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin, that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.
Page 202 - Why, Sir, if you were to read Richardson for the story, your impatience would be so much fretted that you would hang yourself. But you must read him for the sentiment, and consider the story as only giving occasion to the sentiment.
Page 175 - He was perfectly astonished with the historical account I gave him of our affairs during the last century; protesting, " it was only a heap of conspiracies, rebellions, murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments, the very worst effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, perfidiousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, malice, and ambition, could produce.
Page 107 - I also have with soberness considered since, did so offend the Lord, that even in my childhood he did scare and affright me with fearful dreams, and did terrify me with dreadful visions. For often, after i had spent this and the other day in sin, I have in my bed been greatly afflicted, while asleep, with the apprehensions of devils, and wicked spirits, who still, as I then thought, laboured to draw me away with them; of which I could never be rid.
Page 158 - Through the whole piece you may observe such a similitude of manners in high and low life, that it is difficult to determine whether (in the fashionable vices) the fine gentlemen imitate the gentlemen of the road, or the gentlemen of the road the fine gentlemen.- Had the Play remain'd, as I at first intended, it would have carried a most excellent moral.
Page 229 - I thank your ladyship for the information concerning the Methodist preachers. Their doctrines are most repulsive, and strongly tinctured with impertinence and disrespect towards their superiors, in perpetually endeavouring to level all ranks and do away with all distinctions.
Bibliographic information
| Title | A History of English Prose Fiction |
| Author | Bayard Tuckerman |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1882 |
| Length | 332 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |