Jan 23, · Read Free Romance Creative Writings and other exceptional papers on every subject and topic college can throw at you. We can custom-write anything as well! We use cookies to enhance our website for you Oct 28, · For this essay, use one of your favorite television shows (comedy or drama) that has a cultural romance theme involving passion, infatuation, or companion love. Name the show and explain how it features cultural romance and types of romantic relationships. Give the basic premise of the show and name major characters.5/5(1) Words | 4 Pages. (Whitehead). This essay studies the relationship between divorce and love as presented in numerous realist literary works from the turn of the century, including A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells, Marry Me: A Romance by John Updike, and The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
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A composition may be a legitimate romance, yet neither refer to love nor chivalry — to war nor to the middle ages. Related e. Wikipedia Wiktionary Shop. Written as supplements to the EBthey were later collected in Essays on Chivalry, Romance, and the Drama. Assuming these definitions, it is evident, from the nature of the distinction adopted, that there may exist compositions which it is difficult to assign pre cisely or exclusively to the one class or the other and which, in fact, partake essay on romance the nature of both, essay on romance. But, generally speaking, the distinction will be found broad enough to answer all general and use 3 ful purposes.
The word Romance, essay on romance, in its original meaning, was far from corresponding with the definition now assigned. On the contrary, it signified merely one or other of the popular dialects of Europe, founded as almost all these dialects were upon the Roman tongue, that is, upon essay on romance Latin. But it was espe. vocata est FROTH ; Brittanice, WAITE ; Romane vero Scotte Wattre. But it would be difficult to show another instance of the English language being termed Roman or Romance. ESSAY ON ROMANCE. So much is this the case, that such metrical narratives as are writ ten in English always affect to refer to some French original, which usually, at least, if not in all in ESSAY ON ROMANCE, essay on romance.
stances, must be supposed to have had a real exist ence. Thus, very naturally, though undoubtedly by slow degrees, essay on romance, the very name of romaunt, or romancecame to be transferred essay on romance the language itself to that peculiar style of composition in which it was so much em ployed, and which so commonly referred to it. How early a transference so natural took place, we have no exact means of knowing ; but the best authority assures us, that the word was used in its modern and secondary sense so early as the reign of Edward III. Chaucer, unable to sleep during the night, essay on romance us, that, in order to pass the time, Upon my bed I sate upright, And bade one rechin me a boke, A ROMAUNCE, and it me took To read and drive the night away.
Having thus accounted for the derivation of the word, our essay on romance divides itself into three prin cipal branches, though of unequal extent. In the FIRST of these we propose to inquire into the gene ral History and Origin of this peculiar species of composition, and particularly of Romances relating to European Chịvalry, which necessarily form the most interesting object of our inquiry. In the SECOND, we shall give some brief account of the History of the Romance of Chivalry in the differ ent states of Europe. THIRDLY, We propose to notice cursorily the various kinds of Romantic Composition by which the ancient Romances of Chivalry were followed and superseded, and with these notices to conclude the article.
In the views taken by Hurd, Percy, essay on romance, and other older authorities, of the origin and history of roman ESSAY ON ROMANCE, essay on romance. The progress of Romance, in fact, keeps pace with that of society, which cannot long exist, even in the simplest state, essay on romance, without exhibiting some specimens of this attrac tive style of composition. It is not meant by this assertion, that in early ages such narratives were invented, as in modern times, in the character of mere fictions, devised to beguile the leisure of those who have time enough to read and attend to them.
On the contrary, Romance and real history have the same common origin. It is the aim of the former to maintain as long as possible the mask of veracity ; and indeed the traditional memorials of all earlier ages partake in such a varied and doubt ful degree of the qualities essential to those opposite lines of composition, that they form a mixed class between them ; and may be termed either romantic histories, or historical romances, according to the proportion in which their truth is debased by fic tion, or their fiction mingled with truth, essay on romance.
A moment's glance at the origin of society will satisfy the reader why this can hardly be otherwise. The father of an isolated family, destined one day 2 ESSAY ON ROMANCE. But when the tale of the patriarch is related by his childrenand again by his descendants of the third and fourth generation, the facts it contains are apt to assume a very different aspect. The vanity of the tribe augments the simple annals from one' cause — the X love of the marvellous, essay on romance, so natural to the human mind, contributes its means of sophistication from another essay on romance while, sometimes, from a third causethe king and the priest find their interest in casting a holy and sacred gloom and mystery over the early period in which their power arose.
And thus alter ed and sophisticated from so many different motives, the real adventures of the founder of the tribe bear as little proportion to the legend recited among his children, as the famous hut of Loretto bears to the highly ornamented church with which superstition has surrounded and enchased it, essay on romance. Thus the defini tion which we have given of Romance, as a fictitious narrative turning upon the marvellous or the su VOL. L ESSAY ON ROMANCE. pernatural, might, in a large sense, be said to em brace quicquid Græcia mendax Audet in historia, or, in fine, the mythological and essay on romance history of all early nations.
It is also important to remark, that poetry, or rather verse essay on romance rhythm at least of some sort or other, is originally selected as the best vehicle for these traditional histories. Its principal recommendation is probably the greater facility with which metrical narratives are retained in the memory — a point of the last consequence, until the art of writing is generally introduced ; since the construction of the verse itself forms an artificial association with the sense, the one of essay on romance seldom fails to recall the other to recollection. But the medium of verse, at first adopted merely to aid the memory, becomes soon valuable on account of its other qualities.
The march or measure of the stanza is gratifying to the ear, and, like a natural strain of melody, can be restrained or accelerated, so as to correspond with the tone of feeling which the words convey ; while the recurrence of the necessary measuré rhythm, or rhyme, is perpetually gratifying the hearer by a sense of difficulty overcome. Verse being thus adopted as the vehicle of traditional history, there needs but the existence essay on romance a single man of genius, ESSAY ON ROMANCE. In proportion to the skill which he attains in his art, the fancy and ingenuity of the artist him self are excited ; the simple narrative transmitted to him by ruder rhymers is increased in length ; is decorated with the graces of language, amplified in detail, and rendered interesting by description ; until the brief and barren original bears as little resemblance to the finished piece, as the Iliad of Homer to the evanescent traditions, out of which the blind bard wove his tale of Troy Divine.
Essay on romance the opinion expressed by the ingenious Percy, and assented essay on romance by Ritson himself. The Pre. late is citing a discourse on Epic Poetry, prefixed to Telemachus. Coestay stry X toweld twothough ,in ena wash Yet although this levelling proposition has been laid down by Percy, and assented to by Ritson writers who have few opinions in commonessay on romance, and al though, upon so general a view of the subject, the Iliad, or even the Odyssey, of Homer might be degraded into the class of Romances, as Le Beau Deconnu is elevated into that of epic poems, there lies in ordinary speech, and in common sense, as wide a distinction essay on romance these two classes of com position, as there is betwixt the rude mystery or morality of the middle ages, and the regular drama by which these were succeeded.
Where the art essay on romance the ornaments of the poet chiefly attract our atten tion — where each part of the narrative bears a due proportion to the others, and the whole draws gra dually towards a final and satisfactory conclusion where the characters are sketched with force, and sustained with precision — where the narrative is enlivened and adorned with so much, and no more, essay on romance, of poetical ornament and description, as may adorn, without impeding its progress — where this art and taste are displayed, supported, at the same time, by a sufficient tone of genius, and art of composition, the work produced must be termed an Epic Poemand the author may claim his seat upon the high and honoured throne occupied by Homer, essay on romance, Virgil, and Milton.
On the other hand, when a story lan ESSAY ON ROMANCE, essay on romance. Betwixt the extremes of the two classes of composition, there must, no doubt, exist many works, which partake in some degree of the character of both ; and after having assigned most of them each to their proper class, according as they are distinguished by regu larity of composition and poetical talent, essay on romance, or, on essay on romance contrary, by extravagance of imagination, and irre gularity of detail, there may still remain some, in which these properties are so equally balancedthat it may be difficult to say to which class they belong.
But although this may be the case in a very few instances, our taste and habits readily acknowledge ESSAY ON ROMANCE. We have said of Romance, that it first appears in the form of metrical history, professes to be a narrative of real facts, essay on romance, and is, indeed, nearly allied to such history as an early state of society affords ; which is always exaggerated by the prejudices and partialities of the tribe to which it belongs, as well as deeply marked by their idolatry and superstition. These it becomes the trade of the romancers still more to exaggerate, until the thread of truth can scarce be discerned in the web of fable which in volves it ; and we are compelled to renounce all hope of deriving serious or authentic information from the materials upon which the compounders of fic tion have been so long at workessay on romance, from one generation to another, that they have at length obliterated the very shadow of reality or even probability.
The view we have given of the origin of Ro mance will be found to agree with the facts which the researches of so many active investigatorsof this curious subject have been able to ascertain. It is found, for example, essay on romance, and we will produce instances in viewing the progress of Romance in particular countries, that the earliest productions of this sort, known to exist, are short narrations or ballads, ESSAY ON ROMANCE. These poems, of which very few can now be supposed to exist, are not without flashes of genius, but brief, rude, and often obscure, essay on romance, from real antiquity or af fected sublimity of diction.
The song on the battle of Brunanburgh, preserved in the Saxon Chronicle, is a genuine and curious example of this aborigiual style of poetry. But although most nations possess, in their early species of literature, specimens of both kinds of Romance, the proportion of eachas was naturally to have been expected, essay on romance, differs according. composed by John of Damascus in the eighth century. as the genius of the people amongst whom they oc cur leaned towards devotion or military enterprise. Thus, of the Saxon specimens of poetry, which ma nuscripts still afford us, a very large proportion is devotional, amongst which are essay on romance examples of essay on romance Spiritual Romance, but very few indeed of those respecting warfare or chivalry.
The Christian Saxons had become comparatively pacific, while the Normans were cer tainly accounted themost martial people in Europe. However different the Spiritual Romance may be from the temporal in scope and tendency, the nature of the two compositions did not otherwise greatly differ. The structure of verse and style of composition was the same ; and the inductioneven when the most serious subject was undertakenexactly resembled that with which minstrels intro duced their idle tales, and often contained allusions to them. The distresses and dangers which the knight en dured for the sake of obtaining earthly fame and his mistress's favour, the saint or martyr was expo sed to for the purpose of securing his rank in hea ven, and the favour of some beloved and peculiar patron saint.
If the earthly champion is in peril from monsters, essay on romance, dragons, and enchantments, the spi ritual hero is represented as liable to the constant assaults of essay on romance whole invisible world, headed by the ancient dragon himself. If the knight is succoured at need by some favouring fairy or protecting ge nius, the saint is under the protection not only of the whole heavenly host, but of some one divine patron or patroness who is his especial auxiliary. Lastly, the conclusion of the Romance, which essay on romance ally assigns to the champion a fair realman abun dant successionand a train of happy years, consigus ESSAY ON ROMANCE. EN to the martyr his fane and altar upon earth, and in heaven his seat among saints and angels, and his share in a blessed eternity.
It remains but to saythat the style and language of these two classes do not greatly differ, and that the composers of both employ the same structure of rhythm and of lan guage, and draw their ideas and their incidents from similar sources ; so that, having noticed the exist ence of the Spiritual Romance, it is unnecessary for the present to prosecute this subject farther. Another early and natural division of these works of fiction seems to have arranged them into Serious and Comical. The former were by far the most numerous, and examples of the latter are in most countries comparatively rare.
Such a class, however, existed, as proper Romances, even if we hold the Essay on romance Romance distinct from the Contes and Essay on romance bliaux of the Frenchand from such jocular Eng lish narratives as the Wife Lapt in Morils SkinThe Friar and the Boyand similar humorous tales : of which the reader will find many examples in Ritson's Ancient English Poetry, and in other collections, essay on romance. The scene of these gestes being laid in low, or at least in ordinary life, they approach in their nature more nearly to the class of novels, and may perhaps be considered essay on romance the carliest spe cimens of that kind of composition. But the pro XХ 2 ESSAY ON ROMANCE. An excellent example of the Comic Romance is the Tournament of Tottenhamprinted in Percy's Reliques, in which a number of clowns are intro duced practising one of those warlike games, which were the exclusive prerogative of the warlike and noble.
They are represented making vows to the swan, the peacock, and the ladies ; riding a tilt on their clumsy cart horses, and encountering each other with plough -shares, and flails ; while their defensive armour consisted of great wooden bowls and troughs, by way of helmets and cuirasses. The learned editor essay on romance to have thought this sin gular composition was, like Don Quixote, with which he compares it, a premeditated effort of sa tire, written to expose the grave and fantasticman ners of the Serious Romance. This is considering ESSAY ON ROMANCE. the matter too deeply, and ascribing to the author of the Tournament of Tottenhama more critical purpose than he was probably capable of concei ving. It is more natural to suppose that his only ambition was to raise a laugh, by ascribing to the vulgar the manners and exercises of the noble and valiant ; as in the well- known farce of High Life Below Stairs, the ridicule is not directed against the manners described, but against the menials who affect those that are only befitting their su periors.
The Hunting of the Hare, published in the collection formed by the late industrious and ac curate Mr Weber, is a comic Romance of the same order. A yeoman informs the inhabitants of a country hamlet that he has found a hare sitting, and inquires if there is any gentleman near who keeps greyhounds, for the purpose of coursing her. Great is the terror of the individual over whom she ran essay on romance her retreat, and who expected fully that she would have torn his throat out. The inexperienced curs and mastiffs, instead of pursuing the game, essay on romance, commence a battle royal amongst themselves ,—their masters take part in the fray, and beat each other soundly, essay on romance. In short, the hunting of the hare, scarce less doleful than that of Cheviot, concludes like the latter, with the women of the village coming to carry off the wound ed and slain.
It can hardly be essay on romance the satire is directed against the sport of hunting itself ; since the whole ridicule arises out of the want of the necessary knowledge of its rules, incident to the ignorance and inexperience of the clowns, who undertook to practise an art peculiar to gentlemen, essay on romance. The ancient poetry of Scotland furnishes several ESSAY ON ROMANCE. examples of this ludicrous style of romantic com position ; as the Tournament at the Drumand the Justing of Watson and Barbour, by Sir David Lindsay. It is probable that these mock encoun ters were sometimes acted in earnest ; at least King James I.
In hastily noticing the various divisions of the Romance, we have in some degree delayed our pro mised account of its rise and progress ; an inquiry which we mean chiefly to confine to the Romance of the middle ages, essay on romance. It is indeed true that this species of composition is common to almost all na tions, and that even if we deem the Iliad essay on romance Odys sey compositions too dignified by the strain of poe try in which they are composed to bear the name of Metrical Romances essay on romance yet we have the Pastoral Romance of Daphnis and Chloe, and the Historical Romance of Theagenes and Charicleawhich are sufficiently accurate specimens of that style of com position, essay on romance.
The Milesian fables and the Romances of Antonius Diogenes, described by Photius, could they be recovered, would also be found to belong to ESSAY ON ROMANCE. It is impossible to avoid noticing that the Sybarites, whose luxurious habits seem to have been intellectual, as well as sensual, were pecu liarly addicted to the perusal of the Milesian fables ; from which we may conclude that the narratives were not of that severe kind which inspired high thoughts and martial virtues. But there would be little advantage derived from extending our re searches into the ages of classical antiquity respect ing a class of compositions, essay on romance, whichthough they existed then, as in almost every stage of society, were neither so numerous nor of such high repute as to constitute any considerable portion of that literature.
Want of space also may entitle us to dismiss the consideration of the Oriental Romances, unless in so far as in the course of the middle ages they came to furnish materials for enlarging and varying the character of the Romances of knight-errantry. That they existed early, and were highly esteemed both among the Persians and Arabians, has never been disputed ; and the most interesting light has been lately thrown on the subject by the publication of Antar, one of the most ancient, as well as most rational, if we may use the phrase, of the Oriental fictions.
The Persian Romance of the Sha - Nameh is well known to Europeans by name, and by copious ESSAY ON ROMANCE. extracts ; and the love-tale of Mejnoun and Leilah is also familiar to our ears, if not to our recollec tions. Many of the fictions in the extraordinary collection of the Arabian Tales, that of Codadad and his brethren, essay on romance, for example, approach strictly to the character of Romances of Chivalry ; although in general they must be allowed to exceed the more tame northern fictions in dauntless vivacity of inven tionand in their more strong tendency to the mar essay on romance. Several specimens of the Comic Romance are also to be found mingled with those which are serious ; and we have the best and most positive authority that the recital of these seductive fictions is at this moment an amusement as fascinating essay on romance general among the people of the East, as the peru sal of printed Romances and novels among the European public.
But a minute investigation into this particular species of Romance would lead us from our present fieldalready sufficiently extensive for the limits to which our plan confines it.
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Jan 23, · Read Free Romance Creative Writings and other exceptional papers on every subject and topic college can throw at you. We can custom-write anything as well! We use cookies to enhance our website for you Oct 28, · For this essay, use one of your favorite television shows (comedy or drama) that has a cultural romance theme involving passion, infatuation, or companion love. Name the show and explain how it features cultural romance and types of romantic relationships. Give the basic premise of the show and name major characters.5/5(1) Jan 22, · Modern Romance. Romance is not something new to us. It is something that is so familiar to us that the concept, itself, both in actuality and as a metaphor has been explored over and over again. Its sociocultural roots span from many centuries ago. Back then, romance was something that existed for the pleasure of human beings, romance was depicted in art and
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