Project Gutenberg 2013-04-29 Public domain in the USA. 197 Boyle, Roger, Earl of Orrery 1621 1679 Orrery, Roger Boyle, Earl of Boyle, Roger, Baron Broghill Broghill, Lord (Roger Boyle) Broghill, Roger Boyle, Baron Ingelo, Nathaniel 1683 Ingelo, Nathanael Ingelo, N. (Nathaniel) Mackenzie, George 1636 1691 Mackenzie, Sir George Mackenzeus, Georgius Mackenzie, Georgius Davies, Charles Maurice 1828 1910 Davies, C. Maurice (Charles Maurice) Davies, Maurice 53003793 Prefaces to Four Seventeenth-Century Romances Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, preface to Parthenissa (1655) Sir George Mackenzie, "Apologie for romances," prefixed to Aretina, the serious romance (1660) Nathaniel Ingelo, preface to Bentivolio and Urania (1660) Robert Boyle, preface to Theodora and Didymus (1687) Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. "Prefaces to Four Seventeenth-Century Romances by Boyle, Ingelo, and Mackenzie" is a collection of literary prefaces written during the late 17th century. This book focuses on the introspective discourse surrounding the genre of romances, presenting insights from four prominent authors: Roger Boyle, Sir George Mackenzie, Nathaniel Ingelo, and Robert Boyle. The central theme revolves around the evolving nature of romance literature, the interplay of truth and fiction, and the authors' pursuits of literary merit in a transitioning literary landscape. The book includes prefaces to four specific romances: Boyle's "Parthenissa", Mackenzie's "Aretina", Ingelo's "Bentivolio and Urania", and Boyle's "Theodora and Didymus". Each author wrestles with the conventions and criticisms of romance narratives prevalent during their time, addressing the accusations of frivolity and moral laxity often associated with the genre. For instance, Boyle reflects on blending truth within fictional narratives, while Mackenzie argues for a serious purpose in romance writing. Ingelo critiques the use of romances for mere entertainment rather than moral instruction, indicating a desire to elevate the genre's status. Lastly, Robert Boyle discusses the emotional and ethical dimensions encapsulated within stories of martyrdom. Collectively, these prefaces illuminate the changing values of literature and the authors’ aspirations for romance as a medium of moral and intellectual engagement. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 54.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Prefaces English fiction -- Early modern, 1500-1700 PR Text Category: Novels Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: British Literature 119777 2025-08-17T08:42:39.398911 text/html 95200 2024-10-23T15:27:33 text/html 477801 2025-08-17T08:42:45.691383 application/epub+zip 477693 2025-08-17T08:42:42.601878 application/epub+zip 110274 2025-08-17T08:42:41.416872 application/epub+zip 657104 2025-08-17T08:42:47.863399 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 645055 2025-08-17T08:42:44.964417 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 131737 2022-09-19T13:00:57.889713 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 101697 2025-08-17T08:42:38.922919 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 81845 2024-10-23T15:27:33 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19863 2025-08-17T08:42:48.024341 application/rdf+xml 21647 2025-08-17T08:42:41.922857 image/jpeg 4541 2025-08-17T08:42:41.670922 image/jpeg 435222 2025-08-17T08:42:39.432957 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia