Romance Literature in the Middle Ages

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Questions and Answers

What was the primary concern of moralists regarding fiction during the 18th century?

Its limited audience

Its power to corrupt (correct)

Its lack of literary merit

Its inability to reflect reality

What was Samuel Johnson's primary concern when it came to novelistic propriety?

That novels were too long

That novels lacked moral insight

That novels were not poetic enough

That novels promoted mixed characters (correct)

Why were women writers associated with the novel form?

Because they were known for their essays

Because they were known for their art criticism

Because they were known for their fiction (correct)

Because they were known for their poetry

How did lending libraries expand the audience for novels during the 18th century?

By charging a fee for the loan of books Signup and view all the answers

What was the implicit implication of women writers' financial motivation for literary production?

That they were not motivated by high moral purpose Signup and view all the answers

What was Samuel Johnson's occupation?

He was a writer of various forms, including poetry and essays Signup and view all the answers

What was the reputation of novels during the 18th century?

They were dubiously respectable as a literary form Signup and view all the answers

Why were female novelists relatively invisible during the 18th century?

Because few wrote 'realistic' works popularized by Defoe, Fielding, and Smollett Signup and view all the answers

What is usually associated with realism in common usage?

Density of detail and plausibility of action Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of Tom Jones that gives it a realistic feel?

The density of social texture Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of the plot in Tom Jones, according to Miss Prism's pronouncement?

The good end happily and the bad unhappily Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the giant whose dungeon Christian faces?

Despair Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Slough of Despond in the allegory?

To symbolize the treacherous nature of the journey to salvation Signup and view all the answers

What is a notable aspect of the plot in Tom Jones?

Its contrived nature Signup and view all the answers

What is a notable feature of the narrator in Tom Jones?

His ostentation Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the fair that offers Christian worldly enticements?

Vanity Fair Signup and view all the answers

What do the elaborate authorial constructions in Tom Jones show?

The narrator's dexterity Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the parlor in the house of Interpreter?

It symbolizes the heart of man Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the male servant in the parlor episode?

To symbolize the Law Signup and view all the answers

What does the narrator of Tom Jones flaunt and play with?

His control of his readers Signup and view all the answers

What is the source of the pleasure derived from reading Tom Jones?

Its artifice Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the maidservant in the parlor episode?

She symbolizes the Gospel Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of the Law on sin, according to the parlor episode?

It stirs up sin Signup and view all the answers

What is the general message of the allegory, as reinforced by the parlor episode?

That all of life has consequence Signup and view all the answers

What was the focus of the romances that moralists considered a threat to the moral well-being of young women?

The trials of beautiful maidens of high rank and their numerous wooers Signup and view all the answers

What was the characteristic of the prose used in the romances?

Elaborate and detailed Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the innovation introduced by writers like Daniel Defoe in the early 18th century?

It led to the development of novels centered on ordinary people Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason why novels are often described as realistic?

They feature characters with physical needs and ordinary occupations in relatively familiar settings Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of the story being told about the novel in the 18th century?

The deviations from realism in the novel Signup and view all the answers

What was the significance of the explosion of new energies in the novel during the 18th century?

It resulted in a sequence of fictional experiments that justified special attention Signup and view all the answers

What was the characteristic of the characters in the novels that emerged during the 18th century?

They were assigned individualized natures and followed individualized life courses Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason why the period between 1700 and 1800 is considered significant in the development of the novel?

It was a period of significant innovation and experimentation in the novel Signup and view all the answers

What is the novelty of the novel according to the passage?

It is a genre that made itself up as it went along, constantly inventive of new kinds of scene and character. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the clergyman Brand's letters in Richardson's Clarissa?

To serve minimal plot function and communicate a disagreeable personality. Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of modern abridgements on Richardson's Clarissa?

They retain the plot but eliminate much of what makes its development so prolonged. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the twenty-year gap between the publication of Jane Barker's The Lining of the Patch Work Screen and Richardson's Clarissa?

It indicates the possible extremes in novelistic pace in the eighteenth century. Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of the clergyman Brand's personality in Richardson's Clarissa?

He is driven by moral blindness and egotism. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason why Samuel Johnson claimed that reading Clarissa for the plot would drive one to suicide?

The novel's pace is too slow and risks tedium. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the phrase 'novelistic self-imagining' in the passage?

It describes the novel's ability to create new precedents for itself. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the passage's discussion of novelistic pace?

To sketch some of the polarities between which novelists might range. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Eighteenth-Century Novels

Considered a threat to the moral well-being of young women due to their stress on love
Featured beautiful maidens of high rank with numerous wooers who faced daunting trials
Written in elaborate prose with lavish detail, telling stories with little connection to readers' lives
Belonged to the realm of fantasy, satisfying imaginative needs

Emergence of New Energies

Explosion of new energies in the eighteenth century led to a sequence of fictional experiments
Writers like Daniel Defoe began to organize fictions around working-class or middle-class characters
Characters were assigned individualized natures and followed individualized life courses
This development had a lasting impact on the novel genre

Ordinary People in Novels

Novels began to depict characters with physical needs and ordinary occupations in familiar settings
This led to the description of novels as "realistic"
However, the novel's focus on deviations from realism is a key aspect of the genre

Female Novelists

Women were major experimenters in the novel genre, with a large contemporary audience
Women wrote and read novels, contributing to their popularity
Women's involvement in novel writing led to moralists questioning the respectability of the genre

Morality and Novel Writing

Moralists, including Samuel Johnson, believed fiction had the power to corrupt
Johnson advocated for novels that furthered morality, suggesting modes of aspiration
Mixed characters, combining virtue and vice, were seen as dangerous to readers' moral capacities

Novelistic Pace

Novels could adopt leisurely or rapid movement according to their aims
Examples of slow-paced novels include Richard Richardson's Clarissa (1747-48)
Fast-paced novels, like Jane Barker's The Lining of the Patch Work Screen (1726), also existed

Realism in Novels

Realism is linked to density of detail and plausibility of action
However, the assumption that eighteenth-century novels aspire to realism can lead to misunderstandings
Tom Jones, for example, has a dense social texture, but its plot is more focused on artifice than realism

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Description

This quiz explores the characteristics of medieval romance literature, including its focus on love, elaborate prose, and fantastical storytelling. It delves into the themes and styles typical of romance literature during this time period.