A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales by Jonathan Nield (top books of all time .txt) 📖

Historical Romance.

Article on Historical Romance in The Quarterly Review. Vol. XXXV., page 518. (March, 1827.)

Article on historical Romance ("Sir Walter Scott and his Imitators") in Fraser's Magazine. Vol. V., pages 6 (Part I.) and 207 (Part II.). (February and March, 1832.)

Article on "The Picturesque Style of Historical Romance" in
Blackwood's Magazine. Vol. XXXIII., page 621. (April, 1833.)

Article on "Historical Romance in Italy," by G. W. Greene, in the
North American Review. Vol. XLVI., page 325. (April, 1838.)

Article on Historical Romance in Blackwood's Magazine. Vol. LVIII., page 341. (September, 1845.)

Article on Historical Romance, by G. H. Lewes, in The Westminster
Review. Vol. XLV., page 34. (March, 1846.)

Article on "History in Fiction," in The Dublin Review. Vol. XLV., page 328. (December, 1858.)

Lecture III. ("Scott and his Influence") in David Masson's "British
Novelists and their Styles." (Macmillan, 1859.)

Article on "Historical Novels," by H. James, jun., in The Nation.
Vol. V., page 126. (August 15th, 1867.)

Article on Historical Romance in The Argosy. Vol. XVII., page 364.
(May, 1874.)

Chapter X. ("The Waverley Novels"), in R. H. Hutton's "Sir Walter Scott." (Macmillan's English Men of Letters Series, 1878.)

The Essay on "The Waverley Novels," in Vol. II. of Walter Bagehot's
"Literary Studies." (Longmans, 1879)

"A Descriptive Catalogue of Historical Novels and Tales. For the use of School Libraries and Teachers of History. Enlarged from the List in the 'Journal of Education,' March, 1882." Compiled and described by H. Courthope Bowen, M.A. (Edward Stanford, 1882.)

The section on "The Historical Novel," in Bayard Tuckerman's
"History of English Prose Fiction." (Putnams, 1882.)

The Chapter on "Courses of Reading in History," in James Baldwin's
"The Book Lover." (Putnams, 1886.)

The list of Historical Novels given in W. F. Allen's "The Reader's Guide to English History. With Supplement, extending the plan to other countries and periods." (Ginn & Co., 1888.)

[A useful, but very unequal list.]

The partially-selective list of Historical Novels in "A Guide Book to Books," by E. B. Sargant and B. Whishaw. (H. Frowde, 1891.)

The essay on "Sir Walter Scott," in Vol. I. of Leslie Stephen's "Hours in a Library." (Smith, Elder, & Co., 1892. New edition, with additions.)

[Mr. Leslie Stephen is one of the most formidable critics with whom the lover of Historical Romance has to deal. That which it is possible to say against such fiction is said more forcibly by him, perhaps, than by anyone else.]

The series of articles dealing with "History in Fiction," &c., by
J. B. Carlile, in Great Thoughts, October, 1892, to March, 1894.

Article "The Historical Novel," by Prof. A. J. Church, in Atalanta for April, 1893.

The useful and partially-selective lists of Historical Tales given
in "The Intermediate Textbook of English History," by C. S.
Fearenside and A. Johnson Evans. (W. B. Clive, University Tutorial
Press, Ltd., 1893, &c.).

The short selective list of Historical Tales given in the appendix to John Fiske's "History of the United States for Schools." (James Clarke & Co., 1894.)

Article on "The Historical Novel as illustrated by Sir Walter
Scott," by Edwin Lester Arnold, in Atalanta for March, 1894.

The essay on "The Historical Novel" in W. P. James's "Romantic Professions and other papers." (Elkin Mathews and John Lane, 1894.)

[A re-print, in somewhat revised form, of the suggestive article appearing in Macmillan's Magazine, November, 1887.]

Chapter X. ("Sir Walter Scott") in Prof. Raleigh's "The English Novel." (John Murray, 1894.)

Chapters X., XI., and XII. in Prof. Saintsbury's "Essays in English
Literature, 1780-1860. Second series." (J. M. Dent & Co., 1895.)

[Originally appeared in Macmillan's Magazine, August, September, and October, 1894. A contribution to the subject of quite exceptional brilliance and value.]

"A Descriptive List of Novels and Tales dealing with the History of
North America," by W. M. Griswold. (Cambridge, U.S.A., 1895.)

The Section headed "Historical Tales" in "Guide to the Study of American History," by E. Channing and A. B. Hart. (Ginn and Co., 1896.)

A Letter on "Historical Novels, Past and Present," by "Mazarin," in
The Bookman, October, 1896.

Article on "The Indian Mutiny in Fiction," in Blackwood's Magazine,
February, 1897.

Article on "The Importance of Illustrating New England History by a series of Romances," by Rufus Choate, in The New England Magazine, November, 1897.

Paper read before the College of Preceptors, on "The Use of Historical Romances in the Teaching of History," by R. F. Charles in The Educational Times, November, 1897.

Article on "The American Historical Novel," by Paul Lester Ford, in
The Atlantic Monthly, December, 1897.

[In this article a definition of the "Historical Novel" at variance with my own, has been suggested. In spite of Mr. Fords argument, I am still of opinion that the line of demarcation between the Historical Novel proper and the Novel of Character or Adventure can be more clearly drawn than he allows. I was careful, when dealing with this question in my Introduction, to avoid making the test one of actual historical accuracy, but there are, I have implied, certain readily-verifiable personages and events which form a basis amply sufficient for purposes of distinction. The pirates of "Treasure Island" are taken (as Mr. Ford says) from actual figures of the Eighteenth Century, but under my definition Stevenson's novel is not thereby constituted "historical" in the strict sense.]

Article on "The Neo-Romantic Novel," by G. R. Carpenter, in The
Forum, March, 1898.

Article on "Historical Novels Past and Present," by Harold
Frederic, in The Bookman (American), December, 1898.

[An admirably-written, stimulating article.)

List of Historical Novels, &c., illustrating the Period 1066 to 1815, in the volume "Work and Play in Girls' Schools," by Dorothea Beale, Lucy H. M. Soulsby, and Jane Frances Dove (Longmans, 1898).

"Le Roman Historique l'Epoque Romantique," by Louis Maigron
(Hachette et Cie., Paris, 1898).

[Contains a fine tribute to Scott, and much interesting matter.]

Chapters III. and IV. of "The Development of the English Novel," by
W. L. Cross (Macmillan, 1899.)

[A very full treatment. In the Appendix are some useful lists of the earlier Historical Novels.]

Article on "Three American Historical Romances," by W. E. Simonds, in The Atlantic Monthly, March, 1900.

Article on "The Reading of Historical Novels and the Study of
History," by Ada Shurmer, in The Scots Magazine, April, 1900.

Chapter III. ("The Historical Novel"), in F. H. Stoddard's "The Evolution of the English Novel" (Macmillan, 1900).

[A highly important contribution.]

The two sections on Historical Fiction, relating to Greece and Rome respectively, in Arthur L. Goodrich's "Topics of Greek and Roman History" (Macmillan, 1900).

[For those requiring a fuller list of Greek and Roman tales than that given in my pages, the above will be found useful.]

Article on "Historical Novels and their uses in teaching," by C. S.
Fearenside, in The School World, November, 1900.

[An exceptionally good article. The writer states his case clearly and forcibly, and his argument is all the more convincing by reason of its moderation.]

Article on "The New Historical Romances," by W. D. Howells, in The
North American Review, December, 1900.

The Essay on "The Historical Novel" in Prof. J. Brander Matthews'
"The Historical Novel and other essays" (Scribner's, 1901).

[Originally appeared in The Forum, September, 1897. Represents that School of Criticism which is most adverse to Historical Romance. Some of the Professor's remarks convey the impression that he disbelieves in ANY reconstruction of the Past; such an attitude is, surely, unfavourable to History itself, which is always more than any mere statement of "facts."]

The List of Historical Novels in Mudie's Library Catalogue (The New
Enlarged Edition, January, 1902).

[Non-selective, but useful more especially on account of its
Topographical arrangement.]

The list of Historical Tales given in J. S. Lindsey's "Certificate
Note-Book of European History, 1814-1848." (Heffer & Sons,
Cambridge, 1902).

"History of English Romanticism in the Nineteenth Century," by
Henry A. Beers (Kegan Paul & Co., 1902).

[Contains some valuable direct criticism. See especially Chapter
I.]

The "Dedicatory Epistle" in Scott's "Ivanhoe."

The very brief but exceedingly suggestive opening section in
Chapter I. of Charles Reade's "The Cloister and the Hearth."

The Preface to Scheffel's "Ekkehard."

NOTE.

Some of the American Public Libraries (notably Boston) have issued useful Lists of Historical Novels.

Two works—announced for a considerable time—I should have been glad to consult; these are Mr. P. L. Ford's "The American Historical Novel" (Macmillan), and Mr. E. A. Baker's "Guide to Fiction" (Sonnensehein). The last-named volume will, I understand, contain a section devoted to Historical Romance.

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