Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. 27, No. 20

.^TSGE-OMSI.SEHPER.YlCTTmU^' YIYE- QU5SI • CB5S -HOHITURU^. VOL. XXVII. NOTRE DAME, INDIANA, FEBRUARY IO, 1894. No. 20. that of Queen Anne, has given place to the Rondeau. novel, which aims to be the reflection of char (To viy Little Sister.) acter. The romance is a different thing from the novel. People have always liked to hear HEN Jennie smiles, the sun comes out stories. Our Lord Himself spoke great truths And puts the storm-clouds all to rout; in the most simple and beautiful stories, which The blackest night seems brightest day; in our Douay version of the New Testament The robin sings his sweetest lay; are exquisitely preserved for us. It is probable And daffodils and lilies sprout. that the story will hold its own until the end of * 'Tis April, darling, when you pout, the world. The romance is a story which depends December when you frown.—You doubt on incident, while the novel is .built on the My words? No, dear; 'tis ever May develooment of character. Sir Walter Scott's When Jennie smiles. "Ivanhoe" is a romance. Miss Austen's "Pride My muse, I fear, has grown too stout and Prejudice," a novel. It has been often said For rondeaus. Or, mayhap, her gout that in a romance the story is impressed on Forbids her tarrying to play our memory; in a novel, the characters. This In daisied fields. She tells me " Nay, You need the pen of Father Prout is not entirely true. In " Ivanhoe" and in "Guy When Jennie smiles." Mannering" we remember character and inci D. V. C. dent too. But in Sir Walter Scott's prose, fiction .^.^-^ has other claims to be called romance from Tlie Evolution of the English Novel.* the fact that the author often goes into the Middle Ages for his material and introduces BY MAURICE F. EGAN, LL. D. the supernatural. His " Monastery," which has [Professor of English Literature in the University of some spots of bigotry upon it, but which is A'otre Dame.) redeemed by the Abbot, is a typical romance, Thackeray's "Newcomes" is, on the other-hand, HE novel is the most popular a typical novel. form of expression of our time. The nineteenth century has been rich in great Literary forms change as men novelists. But in Shakspere's time may be said change. King Solomon put to have been founded the modern novel. He was into proverb the wisdom which the direct ancestor of our American. novelist, Shakspere recognized and put Mr. W. Dean Ho wells. John Lyly, in his famous into a play. The epic poem novel of "Euphues," wrote principally for the gave place to the drama, and now the novel ladies, as Mr. Howells does; Sir Philip,Sidney has succeeded not only the epic, but the drama; wrote a pastoral romance, "Arcadia"; Thomas and even the poetical satire, so much admired Nash, picturesque stories, and Dekker, realis in the reign of the Emperor Augustus and in tic scenes from life. Daniel Defoe followed .Dekker, and gave models (1719-28) for modern,. * A lecture delivered at St. Mary's Academy. Copy right, by the author. realistic novelists. NOTRE DAME SCHOLASTIC. Richardson, Fielding, Smollett, Sterne, and deserves our gratitude and appreciation. Her Goldsmith (who wrote from 1740-70) are held books are novels of character in which the to be the classical English novelists. "Pamela," highest art seems unconscious. She takes by Samuel Richardson, was published in 1740. commonplace lives and describes them. Her "ClarisscL Harlowe" and "Sir Charles Grandi- characters really live. It does not seem strange son " followed. Richardson was the champion that Sir Walter Scott praises her novels. He of womanhood, and he was almost adored by the could do the "big bow-wow" business himself, fashionable women of his time. " Clarissa Har but such impressions of quiet life as she gave in lowe" is considered to be coarse in our time, "Sense and Sensibility," "Northanger Abbey," but in 1748 it was looked upon as most refined "Emma" and "Persuasion" were beyond his and moral. There is no doubt that it was power. intended to teach the highest morality; it is a The Romantic school in fiction, was repre masterpiece of sincerity and pathos. Henry sented in Germany by Goethe's poetic "Goetz Fielding's "Tom Jones" (1749) is pronounced von Berlichingen"; in France by the novels of by competent critics to be the best novel of the Victor Hugo; in England by Sir Walter Scott, eighteenth century. Thackeray and Anthony who was influenced by Goethe's romantic Trollope, the author of "Barchester Towers" tendencies. Scott's "Waverly Novels" practi and "The Warden," declared its "fable" to be cally created historical fiction in English. almost unrivalled. It is undoubtedly a coarse Attractive as are Sir Walter's novels they are and life-like picture of a coarse condition of not always true to history, though they can society. We may thank Heaven that Tom hardly fail to -strengthen the taste for the Jones is not a typical young man of our day, reading of history. and that the brutal Squire Western, who begins Charles Dickens (1812-70) was one of the to drink at two o'clock every day while his most imaginative of novelists; "The Pickwick daughter sings until he falls into a drunken Papers" (1836) made him famous. He had sleep, has gone out of fashion. Fielding's little education, and this he regretted through "Joseph Andrews" appeared in 1742. all his life. He had assumed "Boz" as a pen- Tobias Smollett published "Roderick Ran name in some newspaper sketches which he dom"; Smollett is coarse, and he exaggerates. had written in the intervals of his work as a Lawrence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy" (1759) parliamentary reporter. He had agreed to write is highly praised. Why, it is hard to say, unless the text for some pictures. This grew almost it be for the vivid character drawing—vulgar imperceptibly into the " Pickwick Papers," the is too mild an adjective to apply to it; in some success of which was assured as soon as Samuel places it is nasty. Sterne is the author of Weller appeared. Dickens' characters are "The Sentimental Journey." He, it seems, was not real, though they sometimes have the a man whose heart was hard, but whose eyes appearance of being real. And yet his power were always ready to drop tears. Oliver Gold of description and his humor almost make us smith's "Vicar of Wakefield" is a novel which forget this. When old Samuel bids young will never grow out of date. It is a story of Samuel "beware of widders," we are so much simple people, and though the plot cannot be amused that we forget both are caricatures. compared in construction with that of "Tom The changes in Dickens' style are exemplified Jones," it is a thoroughly healthful book. Dr. in "Oliver Twist," "David Copperfield," "A Johnson's story of " Rasselas " appeared in 1759. Tale of Two Cities," and "Our Mutual Friend." In 1778, Miss Burney (afterward Madame D'Ar- Dickens' style is seldom very good. He forces blay) wrote "Evelina." Her novel "Cecilia" and overstrains words. This overstrain reaches followed it. These were "society" novels. They its worst in "Our Mutual Friend" and "Bleak are not easy to read now. Mrs. Opie, Mrs. House." He is, from the point of view of Inchbald, Sophia and Harriet Lee and Mrs.Rad- literature, happiest in "A Tale of Two Cities," cliffe—a name which suggests dark vaults and and " Barnaby Rudge." His " Child's History of castle spectres—need only be mentioned. Their England" is mischievous trash; his "American" day is past. Miss Maria Edgeworth's Irish and " Italian Sketches," bits of ignorant clap novels,like "Castle Rackrent" and her delight trap. His pathos is at its best in the death of ful children's stories, deserve to live. Miss Paul Dombey, and at its worst in the death of Ferrier's tales of Scottish society merit the Little Nell; and in some passages of "Little revival the}?^ have achieved. But of all Eng Dorrit" Dickens is whimsical, grotesque, imag lish women novelists. Miss Jane Austen most inative, and interesting. His motives iare always NOTRE DAME SCHOLASTIC. good, and his intentions optimistic and humane. do not hate Becky Sharp, who is such a clear His novels are of the school called in Germany sinner, but we abhor her sins; it is the same with tendcns-roinaii, novels with a purpose. He broke Beatrix Esmond. Thackeray never blurs the up the vile Yorkshire schools by "Nicholas line between right and wrong; his bells always Nickelby," and made the English-speaking ring true. Compare, for real pathos, the death world more tender to the poor and more mind of Colonel Newcome, in the "Newcomes" with ful of the feast of Christmas by his creation the long drawn-out agony of Dickens* Little of Tiny Tim. Nell. " The Virginians" is a sequel to " Esmond." William Makepeace Thackeray stands at the George Washington makes an interesting, head of all English novelists. His rivals are figure in it. "Pendennis," "The Newcomes," women—Miss Austen and Marian Evans "Vanity Fair"—all Thackeray's novels—are (George Eliot). It is no longer fashionable to examples of realism. Even "Esmond," so true compare Thackeray and Dickens. The place to its time, cannot be called a romance. Both of the author of "Pendennis" has been fixed Dickens and Thackeray left unfinished novels much above the author of " Pickwick." Thack —one " The Mystery of Edwin Drood," the other eray was born in 1811, and he died in 1863.

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