Letters to Richard Heber, Esq., M.P.; Containing Critical Remarks on the Series of Novels Beginning with Waverley, and an Attempt to Ascertain Their Author (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LETTER III. Scindit se nubes, et in aethera purgat apertum. Restitit Eneas, claraque in luce refulsit. . S.n. I. 591,2. The prince of darkness is a gentleman. King Lear, Act III. Sc. 4. Another point of resemblance between the author of VVaverley and him of Flodden Field is, that both are unquestionably men of good society. Of the anonymous writer I infer this from his works; of the poet it is unnecessary to deduce such a character from his writings, because they are not anonymous. I am the more inclined to dwell upon this merit in the novelist, on account of its rarity; for among the whole multitude of authors, well or ill educated, who devote themselves to poetry, or to narrative or dramatic fiction, how few are there who give any proof in their works of the refined taste, the instinctive sense of propriety, the clear spirit of honour, nay, of the familiar acquaintance with conventional forms of good breeding, which are essential to the character of a gentleman ! Even of the small number who, in a certain degree, possess these qualifications, how rarely do we find one who canso conduct his fable, and so order his dialogue throughout, that nothing shall be found either repugnant to honourable feelings, or inconsistent with polished manners! How constantly, even in the best works of fiction, are we disgusted with such offences against all good principle, as the reading of letters by those for whom they were not intended; taking advantage of accidents to overhear private conversation; revealing what in honour should have remained secret; plotting against men as enemies, and at the same time making use of their services; dishonest practices on the passions and sensibilities of women by their admirers; falsehoods, not always indirect; and an endless variety of lo...