CONTENTS.

LECTURE I.

ON THE NOVEL AS A FORM OF LITERATURE; AND ON EARLY

BRITISH PROSE-FICTION.-Page 1.

(1.) Nature of the Novel.-The Novel a form of Poetry-Its relation to the Epic

-Relative capabilities of Verse and Prose in Fiction-Points for Criticism in a

Novel-The Theme or Subject-The Incidents-The Scenery-The Characters

-Extra-Poetical Merits. (2.) History of the Novel.-Its late appearance,

compared with other forms of Literature-Classical Romances-Mediæval

Fictions-Early Italian, French, and Spanish Prose Fictions-Early British

Romances-The "Mort d'Arthur "-Chap-Book Romances-Early English

Translations of Foreign Novels- More's "Utopia," and similar Fictions-

Sidney's" Arcadia," and Pastoral Novels-Boyle's "Parthenissa," and Classic-

Heroic Novels-Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress-Mrs. Aphra Behn, and Novel-

ettes of the Restoration.

LECTURE II.

BRITISH NOVELISTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.-79.

Swift and Defoe-Intellectual characteristics of the Eighteenth Century-
Preponderance of Prose in British Literature during this Century-The
Fictions of Swift and Defoe new Prose forms-Swift's characteristics-
Defoe's characteristics-Richardson, Fielding, Smollett, and Sterne: their
biographical relations sketched-Richardson's method in his Novels-His

Morality-Humour and Humorists-Fielding's Theory of the Novel which

he practised-The Comic Novel-Fielding and Smollett compared and con-

trasted-British Life a century ago, as represented in their Novels-Sterne's

peculiarities, moral and literary-Johnson's "Rasselas," Goldsmith's "Vicar

of Wakefield," and Walpole's "Castle of Otranto"-Later Novels and

Novelists of the Eighteenth Century.

LECTURE III.

SCOTT AND HIS INFLUENCE.-155.

Edinburgh seventy years ago-Edinburgh since-Its Important Inhabitants

in recent times-Scott pre-eminently the "genius loci "-Two most prominent

features of Scott's mind-His Love of the Past, or Passion for History—

His affection for the past, not for the whole past, but only for the Gothic por-

tion of it-Patriotism or Scotticism of Scott-His special affection for Edin-

burgh-Time and manner of his determination to the Novel-Review of the

progress of British Prose-Fiction in the twenty-five years preceding "Waver-

ley," or from 1789 to 1814-Twenty Novelists immediately preceding Scott-

Lady-Novelists-Nationality in Novels-Revolutionary Novels: Godwin-

The Gothic Romance School: Mrs. Radcliffe-Novel of English Manners:

Miss Austen-Relations of Scott to his Predecessors-The Waverley Novels

classified-Scott the Founder of the Historical Novel-Limits of his histo-

rical research-Is his mediæ valism sound?-Defect of Scott's genius-

Excellence of his Scottish characters-Scotland's obligations to him-Young

Edinburgh.

LECTURE IV.

BRITISH NOVELISTS SINCE SCOTT.-208.

Enumeration of British Novelists of the last forty-five years-Statistics of
Novel-writing during this period-Classification of Recent Novels into thir-
teen kinds-Sir Lytton Bulwer's Proposed Classification of Novels, and his
own versatility-Fashionable Novelists-Dickens and Thackeray, as repre-
sentatives of a new era in the history of the British Novel-The two com-

pared as artists-Compared as ethical teachers-Realistic Art and Romantic
Art in Novels-Imitations of Dickens and Thackeray-The year 1848 an
important year to date from, in literary as well as in political History-Per-
severing spirit of Realism in recent Prose-Fictions, and application of this
spirit to the representation of facts peculiarly contemporary; Miss Bronte,
&c.-Great development of the Novel of Purpose, as shown in Sectarian
Novels, Novels of the Formation of Character, Novels curative or satirical
of Scepticism, &c.-Mr. Kingsley and the Author of "Tom Brown"-
-Increase of the poetical spirit in Novels-Speculations as to the Novel of
the future, and Desiderata in Novel Writing.

LECTURE I.

ON THE NOVEL AS A FORM OF LITERATURE, AND ON EARLY BRITISH PROSE-FICTION.

If we adopt the common division of Literature, into History, Philosophical Literature, and Poetry or the Literature of Imagination, then the Novel, or ProseFiction, as the name itself indicates, belongs to the department of Poetry. It is poetry inasmuch as it consists of matter of imagination; but it differs from what is ordinarily called Poetry, inasmuch as the vehicle is not verse, but prose. If we wish to define farther the place of the Novel in the general department to which it is thus assigned, we shall do so best by referring to the subdivisions of Poetry itself. There are said to be three kinds of Poetrythe Lyric, the Narrative or Epic, and the Dramatic. This division is usually made with respect to Metrical Poetry; but it holds also with respect to the Prose Literature of Imagination. The prose counterpart to Lyric Poetry or Song is Oratory, or,

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