Hallam, Introd

to Lit. of Europe, I. ii. § 59. History commenced among the modern nations of Europe, as it had commenced among the Greeks, in romance. Macaulay, History. 2. In Spain and other Romanic countries either ( a ) a short epic narrative poem (historic ballad), or, later, ( b ) a short lyric poem. IMG:content-2428.png:[blocks in formation] 3. A tale or novel dealing not so much with real or familiar life as with extraordinary and often extravagant adventures, as Cervantes's "Don Quixote," with rapid and violent changes of scene and fortune, as Dumas's "Count of Monte Cristo," with mysterious and supernatural events, as R. L. Stevens on's "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," or with morbid idiosyncrasies of temperament, as Godwin's "Caleb Williams," or picturing imaginary conditions of society influenced by imaginary characters, as Fouqué's "Undine." Special forms of the romance, suggested by the subject and the manner of treatment, are the historical, the pastoral, the philosophical, the psychological, the allegorical, etc. See novel , n . , 4. The narrative manner of Defoe has a naturalne about it beyond that of any other novel or romance writer. His fictions have all the air of true stories. Lamb , Estimate of Defoe.