page_title: Traitté de l'origine des romans
section_title: The Preface by Stephen Lewis, 1715 [p.i-xi]
hierarchical_section_title: Traitté de l'origine des romans / Excerpt / The Preface by Stephen Lewis, 1715 [p.i-xi]
caption_attribution_description: English: Title page of Huet, Pierre-Daniel. The history of romances. An enquiry into their original; instructions for composing them; an account of the most eminent authors; ... Written in ... London: printed for J. Hooke, at the Flower-de-luce, and T. Caldecott, at the Sun; both against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet Street, 1715.
context_page_description: Pierre Daniel Huet's Trai[t]té de l'origine des Romans can claim to be the first history of fiction. It was originally published in 1670 as preface to Marie de la Fayette's novel Zayde. The following will give extended excerpts from the English translation by Stephen Lewis published in 1715. The title page reads:
  THE| HISTORY| OF| ROMANCES.| AN| Enquiry into their Original| Instructions for Composing them;| AN| Account of the most Eminent| AUTHORS;| With Characters, and Curious Observations| upon the Best Performances of that Kind.| [rule]| Written in Latin by HUETIUS;| Made English by STEPHEN LEWIS.| [rule]| —juvat integros accedere fontes, | Atque haurire. Lucr.| [rule]| LONDON:| Printed for J. HOOKE, at the Flower-de-luce, and| T. CALDECOTT, at the Sun; both against St.| Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet. 1715.
  Pages i-xi gave a preface by Lewis, p.[xii] added “Corrigenda”, p. 1-149 offered the translation under the short title “Original of Romances”.
  The excerpt is extensive and it will mainly serve students of literature interested in the scope of questions and the method of arguing the early historian of literature showed—Huet was a modern cultural historian, one could say.:
context_section_description: 'THERE is not any Speculation, which affords a more agreeable Pleasure to the Mind, than that of beholding from what Obscure and Mean Beginnings, the most Polite and Entertaining Arts have|<j/ij> risen to be the Admiration and Delight of Mankind. To pursue them up to the most abstruse Fountains, and then to view by what Steps they arise to Perfection; does not only excite an Amazement at their Increase; but an Impatient Desire of Inventing some New Subject, to be improv'd and advanc'd by Posterity.
  The first Occasion of introducing ROMANCE into the World, was, without Dispute to mollify the Rigour of Precepts, by the Allurements of Example. Where the Mind can't be subdued into Virtue, by Reason and Philosophy; nothing can|<ij/iij> influence it more, than to present to it the Success and Felicity, which Crowns the Pursuit of what's Great and Honourable.
  The beginning of romances is to be searched for in a far distant past and of interest to “the Curious in Antiquity”
  Upon this Account, They are very much indebted to the Labour and Penetration of Huetius; who has, with great Judgement, traced the Subject he undertook to Illustrate, till he found it in|<iv/v> its Infancy, involved in the Umbrage of Fable, and perplexed in the Folds of Mystery and Riddle. [p.iv-v]
  The treatise has found a wide audience in Latin and French translations. The new English translation is designed to attract a growing audience:
  Especially since Romance has of late convey'd it self very far into the Esteem of this Nation, and is become the Principal Diversion of the Retirement of People of all Conditions. [p.v]
caption: Stephen Lewis' translation, 1715
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