Chap. XIX.] Romances and Novels. 375 



duced his Amelia, in which he imitated the epic 

 poets, hy beginning his narrative in the middle of 

 the story. Tiiis plan was soon followed by Ri- 

 chardson, in his Clarissa Harlowe, and Sir Charles 

 Grandison, in both whicli the epistolary form of 

 writing is retained, to which he seems to have 

 been particularly attached. 



The earliest productions of Great Britain in this 

 department of writing may be considered as her 

 best. Fielding and Richardson have never been 

 exceeded, and probably not equalled, by any no- 

 velists since their day, either in their own or any 

 other country. Each of these authors may be 

 said to have invented a new species of fictitious 

 writing, and to have carried it at once to the high- 

 est point of improvement which it has ever reached. 

 Their talents were different, and their works display 

 this difference in a very strong light; but each 

 attained a degree of excellence in his way altoge- 

 ther unrivalled. Fielding is humorous and co- 

 mic ; Richardson more grave and dignified. They 

 both paint with a masterly hand ; but Fielding is 



has not seen a more artful epic fable than Tom Jones. The cha- 

 racters and adventures are wonderfully diversified j yet tlie cir- 

 cumstances are all so natural, and rise so easily from one another, 

 and cooperate with so much regularity in bringing ©n, even while 

 they seem to retard, the catastrophe, that tiie curiosity of the reader 

 is kept always awake, and instead of flagging grows more and more 

 impatient, as the story advances, till at last it becomes downright 

 anxiety. And when we get to the end, and look back on the 

 whole contrivance, we are amazed to find that of so many inci- 

 dents there should be so few superfluous 3 that in auch variety oi 

 fiction there should be so great probability ; and that so complex 

 a tale should be so perspicuously conducted, and with pexfeci unilj 

 of design." See the Dissertation on Fable and lioinuna 



