CHAPTER II.

THE CONTEMPORARIES OF VOLTAIRE.

Close connection of French seventeenth and eighteenth century Criticism: Fontenelle[501]
Exceptional character of his criticism[502]
His attitude to the “Ancient and Modern” Quarrel[503]
The Dialogues des Morts[503]
Other critical work[504]
La Motte[507]
His “Unity of Interest”[508]
Rollin[509]
Brumoy[509]
Rémond de Saint-Mard[510]
L. Racine[511]
Du Bos[511]
Stimulating but desultory character of his Réflexions[512]
Montesquieu[514]
Voltaire: disappointment of his criticism[515]
Examples of it[515]
Causes of his failure[518]
Others: Buffon[519]
“Style and the man”[520]
Vauvenargues[521]
Batteux[522]
His adjustment of Rules and Taste[523]
His incompleteness[524]
Marmontel[525]
Oddities and qualities of his criticism[526]
Others[529]
Thomas, Suard, &c.[529]
La Harpe[530]
His Cours de Littérature[530]
His critical position as ultimus suorum[531]
The Academic Essay[533]
Rivarol[534]

CHAPTER III.

CLASSICISM IN THE OTHER NATIONS.

Preliminary remarks[537]
Temporary revival of Italian Criticism[538]
Gravina[538]
Muratori: his Della Perfetta Poesia[541]
Crescimbeni[542]
Quadrio[542]
The emergence of literary history[545]
Further decadence of Italian criticism[545]
Metastasio[546]
Neo-classicism triumphs in Spain[546]
The absurdities of Artiga[547]
Luzán[548]
The rest uninteresting[549]
Feyjóo, Isla, and others[549]
Rise at last of German Criticism[550]
Its school time[551]
Classicism at bay almost from the first—Gottsched[552]
The Versuch einer Critischen Dichtkunst[553]
Its chief idea[553]
Specimen details[555]
Gellert: he transacts[557]

INTERCHAPTER VI.

§ I. THE NEMESIS OF CORRECTNESS[559]
§ II. THE BALANCE-SHEET OF NEO-CLASSIC CRITICISM[566]