LXXXVI BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



jind tlic stories told are tales of \vars and wiles, and the heroes 

 are kini^s, warriors, wizards, dwarfs, giants, and demons. They 

 often wander about the world for the i»urpose of adventure or 

 because they are en<>-af>-ed in wonderful enterprises. Thau- 

 maturgv — not iiiitural wonders, liut invented wonders — now 

 constitutes the principal theme of romance. Myth is trans- 

 muted into romance. 



The three worlds i-emain as earth, hell, ;nid heaven. We 

 can not st()p to catalog- these medieval romances, but they con- 

 stitute an extensive literature in themselves and there is an 

 extensive l)0(h' of literature about them. Often in the next 

 stage they become the themes of poetry Tlie Victorian bard 

 has used some of these medieval themes in the Idylls of the 

 King-. 



Novels — It must constantly be borne in niind that romance 

 in its various stages may have themes to a greater or less 

 extent tlie same throughout, but that they differ in the method 

 of treatment. Beast fables may yet be told, but merely as 

 faljles to teach a lesson. The natui-e myths may yet be used 

 as illustrations and embellishments, and romances may yet be 

 written with all the thaumaturgy of the Middle Ages to give 

 literary anuisement to people who are not supposed to believe 

 in necromancy. 



With this warning we mav g-o on to describe the romance of 

 the last stage. To the world's store of romance new tales are 

 added — hctitious histories in a series of events where causes 

 conspire to produce effects that have an intellectiuTl and emo- 

 tional interest. In an especial manner modern tales are 

 designed to teach a lesson of good and evil, and there are 

 many romances that are doctrinaire in motive. 



This is the transnmtation bnmglit by science U})on the char- 

 acteristics of romance. Tales are no longer told to be believed, 

 but are told to teach lessons. IJomance is fundamentallv 

 designed to give pleasure, but at the same time is made to 

 teach wisdom in conduct. If the medicine is but a coated 

 pill, it is refused; but if a dram of moral truth is deftly mixed 

 with a ]iound of delightful representation of men and things, 

 the moral becomes a luxurv. 



