The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Old English Baron, by Clara Reeve

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Title: The Old English Baron

Author: Clara Reeve

Release Date: February, 2004 [EBook #5182]
Posting Date: April 23, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE OLD ENGLISH BARON ***

Produced by Jack Voller

THE OLD ENGLISH BARON

By Clara Reeve

PREFACE

As this Story is of a species which, though not new, is out of
the common track, it has been thought necessary to point out some
circumstances to the reader, which will elucidate the design, and, it is
hoped, will induce him to form a favourable, as well as a right judgment
of the work before him.

This Story is the literary offspring of The Castle of Otranto, written
upon the same plan, with a design to unite the most attractive and
interesting circumstances of the ancient Romance and modern Novel, at
the same time it assumes a character and manner of its own, that differs
from both; it is distinguished by the appellation of a Gothic Story,
being a picture of Gothic times and manners. Fictitious stories have
been the delight of all times and all countries, by oral tradition in
barbarous, by writing in more civilized ones; and although some persons
of wit and learning have condemned them indiscriminately, I would
venture to affirm, that even those who so much affect to despise them
under one form, will receive and embrace them under another.

Thus, for instance, a man shall admire and almost adore the Epic poems
of the Ancients, and yet despise and execrate the ancient Romances,
which are only Epics in prose.

History represents human nature as it is in real life, alas, too often
a melancholy retrospect! Romance displays only the amiable side of the
picture; it shews the pleasing features, and throws a veil over the
blemishes: Mankind are naturally pleased with what gratifies their
vanity; and vanity, like all other passions of the human heart, may be
rendered subservient to good and useful purposes.

I confess that it may be abused, and become an instrument to corrupt the
manners and morals of mankind; so may poetry, so may plays, so may
e