A course of lectures on dramatic art and literature . rive their colouiing from the sunshineof the soul. I was at Vienna when W. Schlegel gave his publiccourse of Lectures I expected only good sense and instruc-tion, where the object was merely to convey infonnation: Iwas astonished to hear a critic as eloquent as an orator, andwho, far from falling upon defects, which are the eternalfood of mean and little jealousy, sought only the meaus ofreviving a creative genius. Thus far Madame de Stael. In taking upon me to become theinterpreter of a work of this description to my countrymen, Iam aware
A course of lectures on dramatic art and literature . rive their colouiing from the sunshineof the soul. I was at Vienna when W. Schlegel gave his publiccourse of Lectures I expected only good sense and instruc-tion, where the object was merely to convey infonnation: Iwas astonished to hear a critic as eloquent as an orator, andwho, far from falling upon defects, which are the eternalfood of mean and little jealousy, sought only the meaus ofreviving a creative genius. Thus far Madame de Stael. In taking upon me to become theinterpreter of a work of this description to my countrymen, Iam aware that I have incurred no slight degree of responsi-bility. How I have executed my task it is not for me tospeak, but for the reader to judge. This much, however, Iwill say,—that I have always endeavoured to discover thetrue meaning of the author, and that I believe I have seldommistaken it. Those who are best acquainted with thepsychological riches of the German language, will be the mostdisposed to look on my lat«tsrWitfe-*in eye of indulgence. X. A L AUTHORS PREFACE. From the size of tbe present work, it will not be expectedthat it should contain either a course of Dramatic Literaturebibliographically complete, or a history of the theatre com-piled with antiquarian accuracy. Of books containing dryaccounts and lists of names there are already enough. ]\Iypurpose was to give a general view, and to develope thoseideas which ought to guide us in our estimate of the value ofthe dramatic productions of various ages and nations. The greatest part of the following Lectures, with the ex-ception of a few observations of a secondary nature, the sug-gestion of the moment, were delivered orally as they nowappear in print. The only alteration consists in a more com-modious distiibution, and here and there in additions, wherethe limits of the time prevented me from handling manymatters with uniform minuteness. This may afford a compen-sation for the animation of oral delivery which somet
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