HISTORICAL NOVELS.
[To TRH EDITOR OP TIM " SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—It has perhaps occurred to many that a catena of historical novels would be of value. While the stately tomes of history proper remain unread, save by the scholar and the student, our young people turn, not unwillingly, from the love- story to the tale of historical adventure, in which they meet old friends (or enemies) with new faces. Granted that the historical novel is sometimes inventive as to its incidents an.1 untrustworthy as to its sequence of events, and further, that it is often tinctured by the personal prepossessions of its author, yet if it be true that history is better learnt by getting a real and lively conception of historical figures than by the rote-memorising of facts and dates, the usefulness of such a catena is evident. To take a well-worn instance, but for Charles Kingsley, what would the average boy or girl know of Hereward the Wake as a living man ? My purpose is not to raise any controversy in your columns—which are properly reserved for matters of graver import—but to say that in the interests of our young folks I shall be greatly obliged to any of your readers who will send me lists of historical novels in chronological order, which may help in the forging of such a catena ; beginning with, say, Lytton's "Harold," and following the centuries downwards to the "Tale of Two Cities."—I am, Sir, &c., [Our correspondent will find a great deal of useful informa- tion in the "Descriptive Catalogue of Historical Novels and Tales," by H. Courthope Bowen, a new edition of which has just been published (Edward Stanford, 2s. net).—En. Spectator.]
Previous page
