Imatges de pàgina
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My gorgeous palace for a hermitage;
My gay apparel for an almsman's gown;
My figur'd goblets for a dish of wood;
My sceptre for a palmer's walking-staff;
My subjects for a pair of carved saints;
And my large kingdom for a little grave;
A little, little grave; an obscure grave.
Or, I'll be buried in the king's highway;
Some way of common tread, where subjects' feet
May hourly trample on their sovereign's head;
For on my heart they tread now, whilst I live;
And, buried once, why not upon my head?

RICHARD II.-ACT III. Sc. 6.

Objects that strike terror in a spectator have in poetry and painting a fine effect. The picture, by raising a slight emotion of terror, agitates the mind; and in that condition every beauty makes a deep impression. May not contrast heighten the pleasure, by opposing our present security to the danger of encountering the object represented?

The other shape,

If shape it might be call'd, that shape had none
Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb;
Or substance might be call'd that shadow seem'd,
For each seem'd either; black it stood as night,
Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell,

And shook a dreadful dart.

PARADISE LOST.-BOOK II. 1. 666.

Now storming fury rose,

And clamor such as heard in heaven till now
Was never arms on armor clashing bray'd
Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
Of brazen chariots rag'd; dire was the noise
Of conflict: overhead the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,
And flying vaulted either host with fire.
So under fiery cope together rush'd
Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage: all heaven
Resounded; and had earth been then, all earth
Had to her centre shook.

PARADISE LOST.-BOOK VI. 1. 207.

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To tell the secrets of my prison-house,

I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,
Thy knotty and combined locks to part,
And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine:
But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood.

HAMLET. ACT I. Sc. 8.

Gratiano. Poor Desdemona!
Thy match was mortal to him;
Shore his old thread in twain.
This sight would make him do a desperate turn;
Yea, curse his better angel from his side,
And fall to reprobation.

I'm glad thy father's dead:
and pure grief
Did he live now,

OTHELLO.-ACT V. Sc. 8.

Objects of horror must be excepted from the foregoing theory; for no description, however lively, is sufficient to overbalance the disgust raised even by the idea of such objects. Every thing horrible ought therefore to be avoided in a description. Nor is this a severe law: the poet will avoid such scenes for his own sake, as well as for that of his reader; and to vary his descriptions, nature affords plenty of objects that disgust us in some degree without raising horror.

I am obliged, therefore, to condemn the picture of Sin in the second book of Paradise Lost, though a masterly performance: the original would be a horrid spectacle; and the horror is not much softened in the copy.

Iago's character, in the tragedy of Othello, is insufferably monstrous and satanical: not even Shakspeare's masterly hand can make the picture agreeable.

REVIEW.

What is the first rule in the composition of history?—what are the reasons for it?

What is the second rule?—what are the reasons for it?

What is the effect of straining to make a figure at first?

How should the first sentences of a work be?

What is the third rule?

What is the fourth rule?

In what does the force of language consist?

What should the narrative in an epic poem resemble?
Give examples.

What is the criticism on Voltaire's Henriade?

How should circumstances be disposed of?

>What is the effect of a well-chosen circumstance?

"Give examples.

What writers excel in drawing characters?

Give examples from Shakspeare, Congreve, and Ossian. Give examples of contradictions and absurdities, which some writers fall into?

Should common and well-known reasons be expressed?

What sort of style is required by an elevated subject?-a familiar subject?-a serious subject?—a description?

What example is given of a high subject expressed in low words?-of expression raised above the subject?

What is the common error of inferior writers?

What is its effect?

Give an example.

What is the remark made on these lines?

How is slow action imitated?-how is labor?

What is to be regarded in dialogue-writing?

How does an incident make the strongest impression?

How do writers of genuine taste take advantage of this fact? Give examples.

When are repetitions allowable?/

Give examples.

How are Homer's repetitions justified?

What is observed of a concise style?

What writers excel in it?

Give examples from Ossian.

What is observed of tautology?

What writer is sometimes guilty of it?

Why is the picture of an ugly object agreeable?

Why may the description of a disagreeable object be agreeable? Give examples.

How may an object that strikes terror in the spectator, have a fine effect in poetry and painting?

Are objects of horror proper for description?

Why not?

CHAPTER XXII.

Epic and Dramatic Compositions.

TRAGEDY differs not from epic in substance: in both the same ends are pursued, namely, instruction and amusement; and in both the same mean is employed, namely, imitation of human actions. They differ only in the manner of imitating; epic poetry employs narration; tragedy represents its facts as passing in our

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sight; in the former, the poet introduces himself as an historian; in the latter, he presents his actors, and never himself.*

This difference, regarding form only, may be thought slight but the effects it occasions, are by no means so; for what we see makes a deeper impression than what we learn from others. A narrative poem is a story told by another: facts and incidents passing upon the stage, come under our own observation; and are besides much enlivened by action and gesture, expressive of many sentiments beyond the reach of words.

A dramatic composition has another property independent altogether of action; which is, that it makes a deeper impression than narration: in the former, persons express their own sentiments; in the latter, sentiments are related at second-hand. For that reason Aristotle, the father of critics, lays it down as a rule, That in an epic poem the author ought to take every opportunity of introducing his actors, and of confining the narrative part within the narrowest bounds.† Ho

*The dialogue in a dramatic composition distinguishes it so clearly from other compositions, that no writer has thought it necessary to search for any other distinguishing mark. But much useless labor has been bestowed, to distinguish an epic poem by some peculiar mark. Bossu defines it to be, "A composition in verse, intended to form the manners by instructions disguised under the allegories of an important action;" which excludes every epic poem founded upon real facts, and perhaps includes several of Esop's fables. Voltaire reckons verse so essential, as for that single reason to exclude the adventures of Telemachus. See his Essay upon Epic Poetry. Others, affected with substance more than with form, hesitate not to pronounce that poem to be epic. It is not a little diverting to see so many profound critics hunting for what is not; they take for granted, without the least foundation, that there must be some precise criterion to distinguish epic poetry from every other species of writing. Literary compositions run into each other precisely like colors: in their strong tints they are easily distinguished; but are susceptible of so much variety, and of so many different forms, that we never can say where one species ends and another begins. As to the general taste, there is little reason to doubt, that a work where heroic actions are related in an elevated style, will, without further requisite, be deemed an epic poem.

Poet. cap. 25. sect. 6,

mer understood perfectly the advantage of this method; and his two poems abound in dialogue. Lucan runs to the opposite expreme, even so far as to stuff his Pharsalia with cold and languid reflections; the merit of which he assumes to himself, and deigns not to share with his actors. Nothing can be more injudiciously timed than a chain of such reflections, which suspend the battle of Pharsalia after the leaders had made their speeches, and the two armies are ready to engage.*

Aristotle, regarding the fable only, divides tragedy into simple and complex: but it is of greater moment, with respect to dramatic as well as epic poetry, to found a distinction upon the different ends attained by such compositions. A poem, whether dramatic or epic, that has nothing in view but to move the passions and to exhibit pictures of virtue and vice, may be distinguished by the name of pathetic; but where a story is purposely contrived to illustrate some moral truth, by showing that disorderly passions naturally lead to external misfortunes, such compositions may be denominated moral. Beside making a deeper impression than can be done by cool reasoning, a moral poem does not fall short of reasoning in affording conviction: the natural connexion of vice with misery, and of virtue with happiness, may be illustrated by stating a fact, as well as by urging an argument. Let us assume, for example, the following moral truths: that discord among the chiefs renders ineffectual all common measures; and that the consequences of a slightly-founded quarrel,

* Lib. 7, from line 385 to line 460.

The same distinction is applicable to that sort of fable which is said to be the invention of Esop. A moral, it is true, is by all critics considered as essential to such a fable. But nothing is more common than to be led blindly by authority; for, of the numerous collections I have seen, the fables that clearly inculcate a moral make a very small part. In many fables, indeed, proper pictures of virtue and vice are exhibited: but the bulk of these collections convey no instruction, nor afford any amusement, be yond what a child receives in reading an ordinary story,

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