CHAPTER VIII. The Seventeenth-Century Novel--I. 152

THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY NOVEL--I. 152

The Pastoral and Heroic Romance, and the Fairy Story.

Immense importance of the seventeenth century in our subject--The divisions of its contribution--Note on marked influence of Greek Romance--The Pastoral in general--Its beginnings in France--Minor romances preceding the Astrée--Their general character--Examples of their style--Montreux and the Bergeries de Juliette--Des Escuteaux and his Amours Diverses--François de Molière: Polyxéne--Du Périer: Arnoult et Clarimonde--Du Croset: Philocalie--Corbin: Philocaste--Jean de Lannoi and his Roman Satirique--Béroalde de Verville outside the Moyen de Parvenir--The Astrée: its author--The book--Its likeness to the Arcadia--Its philosophy and its general temper--Its appearance and its author's other work--Its character and appeals--Hylas and Stella and their Convention--Narrative skill frequent--The Fountain of the Truth of Love--Some drawbacks: awkward history--But attractive on the whole--The general importance and influence--The Grand Cyrus--Its preface to Madame de Longueville--The "Address to the Reader"--The opening of the "business"--The ups and downs of the general conduct of the story--Extracts: the introduction of Cyrus to Mandane--His soliloquy in the pavilion--The Fight of the Four Hundred--The abstract resumed--The oracle to Philidaspes--The advent of Araminta--Her correspondence with Spithridates--Some interposed comments--Analysis resumed--The statue in the gallery at Sardis--The judgment of Cyrus in a court of love--Thomyris on the warpath--General remarks on the book and its class--The other Scudéry romances: Ibrahim--Almahide--Clélie--Perhaps the liveliest of the set--Rough outline of it--La Calprenède: his comparative cheerfulness--Cléopatre: the Cypassis and Arminius episode--The book generally--Cassandre--Faramond--Gomberville: La Caritée--Polexandre--Camus: Palombe, etc.--Hédelin d'Aubignac: Macarise--Gombauld: Endimion--Mme. de Villedieu--Le Grand Alcandre Frustré--The collected love-stories--Their historic liberties--Carmente, etc.--Her value on the whole--The fairy tale--Its general characteristics: the happy ending--Perrault and Mme. d'Aulnoy--Commented examples: Gracieuse et Percinet--L'Adroite Princesse--The danger of the "moral"--Yet often redeemed--The main Cabinet des Fées: more on Mme. d'Aulnoy--Warning against disappointment--Mlle. de la Force and others--The large proportion of Eastern Tales--Les Voyages de Zulma--Fénelon--Caylus--Prince Courtebotte et Princesse Zibeline--Rosanie--Prince Muguet et Princesse Zaza--Note on Le Diable Amoureux.