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Article REFLECTIONS UPON TRAGEDY. ← Page 3 of 3 Article ON THE NATIONAL MANNERS OF THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH. Page 1 of 3 →
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Reflections Upon Tragedy.
& c . ? All inexhaustible treasures , if authors would g ' . ve themselves the trouble of making a choice . It is true that our dramatic authors would be obliged to make considerable researches , both with respect to customs , and the ancient geography of the places in which their scenes happened ; but in that they would only imitate the great authors of the Cid , Electra , Phaedra , Rhadamistus , and Mahomet . As these authors were minute in
their details , they considered no trouble too great to be exact . A mountain , a river , or even a small stream , would have stopped them , had they not been able to discover their names . Tragedy ought to paint ; it ought to be a faithful representation of customs , climates , laws , and dresses ; and on that account every care should be employed to be exact .
On The National Manners Of The French And English.
ON THE NATIONAL MANNERS OF THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH .
BY W . HUNTER , ESQ . HPHE Frencli ( I mean to speak of them as they were , for I hope A their fit of insanity will noflast long ) are a polite , affable , easy , thoughtless , ingenious , and frivolous people . —They have an exterior appearance which immediately engages the attentionand
-, ge nerally captivates at first sight . They can talk , and dance , and-sing for ever ; but with the sobriety of steady reflection they are little acquainted . They have brilliancy of wit ; but are deficient in solidity of judgment . The feelings of their hearts are warm ; but not durable . - Their learning is general , but not profound ; and most of them have read a great deal , but studied very little : so that their
conversation is sprightly and airy , well furnished with materials ; but only with those materials , which lie on the surface , and which are consequently acquired with little trouble . On subtle or abstruse points they seldom converse ; and are better calculated for the g iddy flutter of a drawing-room , than the learned disquisitions of the closet . Their natural taste for dissipation and amusementshas introduced
, among them an almost endless variety of each ; and the great object of their lives seem to be , to enjoy the present , and to banish totally from their thoughts the recollection of the past , or the probable occurrences of the future . Their society is always cheerful and agreeable ; and they certainly havebeyond every other peoplediscovered the art of trifling time
, , pleasantly away . To strangers they are courteous and hospitable ; but their professions must never be understood in their full extent , and must very frequently be considered as mere sounds , without any meaning whatever . —Their friendship is easily gained , and as easily lost . —Whilst you are with them they are kind , attentive , and polite ;
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reflections Upon Tragedy.
& c . ? All inexhaustible treasures , if authors would g ' . ve themselves the trouble of making a choice . It is true that our dramatic authors would be obliged to make considerable researches , both with respect to customs , and the ancient geography of the places in which their scenes happened ; but in that they would only imitate the great authors of the Cid , Electra , Phaedra , Rhadamistus , and Mahomet . As these authors were minute in
their details , they considered no trouble too great to be exact . A mountain , a river , or even a small stream , would have stopped them , had they not been able to discover their names . Tragedy ought to paint ; it ought to be a faithful representation of customs , climates , laws , and dresses ; and on that account every care should be employed to be exact .
On The National Manners Of The French And English.
ON THE NATIONAL MANNERS OF THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH .
BY W . HUNTER , ESQ . HPHE Frencli ( I mean to speak of them as they were , for I hope A their fit of insanity will noflast long ) are a polite , affable , easy , thoughtless , ingenious , and frivolous people . —They have an exterior appearance which immediately engages the attentionand
-, ge nerally captivates at first sight . They can talk , and dance , and-sing for ever ; but with the sobriety of steady reflection they are little acquainted . They have brilliancy of wit ; but are deficient in solidity of judgment . The feelings of their hearts are warm ; but not durable . - Their learning is general , but not profound ; and most of them have read a great deal , but studied very little : so that their
conversation is sprightly and airy , well furnished with materials ; but only with those materials , which lie on the surface , and which are consequently acquired with little trouble . On subtle or abstruse points they seldom converse ; and are better calculated for the g iddy flutter of a drawing-room , than the learned disquisitions of the closet . Their natural taste for dissipation and amusementshas introduced
, among them an almost endless variety of each ; and the great object of their lives seem to be , to enjoy the present , and to banish totally from their thoughts the recollection of the past , or the probable occurrences of the future . Their society is always cheerful and agreeable ; and they certainly havebeyond every other peoplediscovered the art of trifling time
, , pleasantly away . To strangers they are courteous and hospitable ; but their professions must never be understood in their full extent , and must very frequently be considered as mere sounds , without any meaning whatever . —Their friendship is easily gained , and as easily lost . —Whilst you are with them they are kind , attentive , and polite ;