Excerpt from The Dialogue in English Literature The general history of the dialogue has been set forth in Hirzel's Der Dialog, ein Literarhistorischer Versuch (Leipsic, 1895), which includes, in addition to a full account of classic dialogues, some brief mention of those in modern literatures. This book has furnished the starting-point for the following discussion, which aims to deal, rather inclusively, with the varieties of dialogue in our literature, as well as to give an account of the English dialogues that are most typical, or of the greatest value artistically. I have grouped these dialogues in certain general classes, after setting aside for separate treatment the mediaeval period and the nineteenth century; for, though the classes do indeed overlap, such a grouping reveals some important tendencies. A few translations that have come to form part of English literature, or have closely affected its development, appear in the course of the discussion, but only a few out of many. The following pages may perhaps suggest that, though English literature has produced no dialogues of such permanent beauty and importance as those which have come to us from the Greeks, and though English dialogues, in general, have been far less dramatic and far more expository in tone than the best of those in classic literature, they have been more numerous and of greater interest than is generally realized. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

Excerpt from The Dialogue in English, Betweene a Doctor of Diuinitie and a Student in the Lawes of England Q 01 the law of teafon, the which by 4060 14 called the law of nature ot reafo fixable creatures. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

A washed-up, middle-aged British philosopher teams up with an incompetent, one-armed bank robber to plan the ultimate bank job.

Excerpt from Dialogues From Dickens IN arranging my first volume of Dialogues, it' was my aim to make each scene entirely independent of every other, as I thought that so they would be best adapted to school pur poses; at the same time, by bringing closely together those scenes which were taken from the same novel, I intended to show that there was acertain connection between them. And to suggest the idea of grouping them in the form of dramas for evening entertainments. Finding that the possibility of such a use of the dialogues had been generally overlooked, I took occasion, in the preface to the third edition of the book, to call attention to it, and to give an outline of several little plays which I had myself formed in that way, and which had been performed with success. In this volume I have pursued a different course, and in stead of a collection of dialogues which might be grouped into dramas, I have arranged a number of dramas which may be, if desired, separated into dialogues, nearly every scene containing enough of interest in itself to render it acceptable as a part of a school exhibition. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Dialogue Although it is probable that the subject I have chosen to speak about this evening is rather outside the ordinary scope of your proceedings, I have thought it better to take that risk than to attempt to address you on some topic which I. as a working novelist and one who has made experiments in the dramatic line also, have had less occasion to study, and therefore should be less likely to be able to say anything deserving of your attention - not that I am at all confident of doing that even as matters stand. Yet perhaps it is not altogether alien to the spirit of this Association to consider sometimes a more or less technical aspect of literature itself, even though its main object may be to promote the study of literature; such a discussion, undertaken from time to time, may foster that interest in literature, on which in the end the spread of its study must depend. With that much said by way of justification, or of apology, as you will, I proceed to my task. Some months ago I happened to read a novel in the whole course of which nobody said anything - not one of the characters was represented in the act of speaking to another with the living voice. One remark was indeed quoted in a letter as having been made viva voice on a previous occasion, but this sudden breach of consistency did not command my belief - it seemed like an assertion that in an assembly of veritable mutes somebody had suddenly shouted. The book was not in the main in the form of letters - it was almost pure narrative. The effect was worse than unreal. An intense sense of lifelessness was produced; you moved among the dead - or even the shadows of the dead. It was a lesson in the importance of dialogue in fiction which no writer could ever forget. What, then, is this dialogue? Formally defined it includes, I suppose, any conversation any talk in which two or more persons take part; while it excludes a monologue, which one delivers while others listen, and a soliloquy, which one delivers when there is nobody to listen - unless, perchance, behind the arras. But some dialogues are, if I may coin a word, much more thoroughly dialogic than others - there is much more of what is the real essence of the matter. That real essence I take to be the meeting of minds in talk - the reciprocal -exhibition of mind to mind. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Polite Conversation: In Three Dialogues In some ways nothing could be a better introduction to the "Polite Conversation" than the account of it which Mr. Thackeray has given in his "English Humourists" (though under the head of Steele, not Swift), as illustrating the society of the period. That account is in its way not much less of a classic than the immortal original itself, and it is purely delightful. But it neither deals nor pretends to deal with the whole of the subject Indeed, the idea of Swift's character which the Conversation gives does not square altogether well with the view - true, but one-sided - which it suited Mr. Thackeray to take of Swift. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Book of Dialogues, Vol. 1 John. To-morrow is Christmas; then hurrah for presents and fun What do you all think Santa Claus will bring? Everett. We don't get presents at our house. Santa Claus don't Come. Annie. What! Don't he come? I thought that he came Wherever there are children. Georgie. He don't come to our house either. Father says we are too poor. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.