Novels:Contemporary Views

From Marteau

• Paul Scarron, The Comical Romance, Chapter XXI. ”Which perhaps will not be found very Entertaining“ (London, 1700). - The French should follow the Spanish and write novels.

• One text in five versions: ”novels“ – little histories of intrigues have replaced the old romance with its bombast adventures

• (Du Plaisir), ”Sentimens sur l’histoire“ from: Sentimens sur les lettres et sur l’histoire, avec des scruples sur le stile (Paris: C. Blageart, 1683). On the art of the modern novel, ist character observation and its structure.

• Abbe Bellegarde, ”Lettre à une Dame de la Cour, qui lui avoit demandé quelques Reflexions sur l’Histoire“ from: Lettres curieuses de littérature et de morale (La Haye: Adrian Moetjens, 1702). Rewriting Du Plaisir's treatise.

• (Abbe Bellegarde), The Preface to The Secret History of Queen Zarah and the Zarazians (Albigion, 1705) and its versions into French and German. A translation of Bellegarde's text which turns the rise of the novel into a European and ultimately English phenomenon.

• Deutsche Acta Eruditorum, Review of the French translation of Delarivier Manley's New Atalantis 1709 (Leipzig: J. L. Gleditsch, 1713). A learned journal rewiews a scandalous roman à clef.

• Jane Barker, Preface to Exilius of the Banish’d Roman. A New Romance (London: E. Curll, 1715).

• (Johann Friedrich Riederer,) “Satyra von den Liebes-Romanen”, from: Die abentheuerliche Welt in einer Pickelheerings-Kappe, 2 ([Nürnberg, 1718).] Readers of all classes devour romances & novels and dream of being amorous heroes.