Chapter 1 No.1

N?o é meu intento tra?ar a historia d'este ramo de litteratura. Direi, todavia, que d'aquelle modo continuou o romance, em todos os tempos, e sob todas as fórmas, a reproduzir em si, com mais ou menos naturalidade e viveza de c?res, as mudan?as que se v?o operando nas idêas e nos costumes.

D'est'arte se revestiu das fórmas classicas, quando, sob a influencia dos sabios e dos artistas, foragidos de Constantinopla, ao desmoronar do imperio do Oriente, se operou nas letras, nas artes, e no proprio viver da sociedade, a grande revolu??o denominada renascen?a, a qual foi inspirar-se nas obras grandiosas da antiga Grecia.

Do mesmo modo assumiu o romance a gravidade philosophica, quando Voltaire, Rousseau, e outros grandes pensadores do seculo passado, proclamando verdades, que faziam estremecer em seus thronos os monarchas despoticos, convidavam os estadistas a meditarem nos problemas sociaes, cuja semente assim lan?avam á terra; e excitavam os povos a reflectir na significa??o e importancia dos direitos do homem.

Assim o romance se tornou historico, logo que a sociedade, sentindo o mal estar de uma organisa??o que os progressos da civilisa??o iam fazendo caducar, recorria ao passado, como que procurando nos archivos da historia o elixir para se rejuvenescer; isto é, estudando nas antigas sociedades as fórmas governativas, que mais lhe quadrariam sob a revolu??o que se preparava.

Quando, em nossos dias, a applica??o do vapor á locomo??o e ás machinas industriaes, bem como a telegraphia electrica, pondo em facil e rapida communica??o todos os povos do globo, estabeleceram novas condi??es de existencia social, que h?o de operar for?osamente, em maior ou menor espa?o de tempo, uma transforma??o completa, n?o só no modo de viver, mas tambem na organisa??o da sociedade; quando a atten??o dos homens pensadores come?ava a fixar-se na grande revolu??o prevista, e a meditar nos difficeis problemas que ella em breve deveria offerecer á resolu??o dos philosophos e dos estadistas; quando a atten??o geral dos povos, desapegada das tradi??es do passado, se absorvia inteiramente na contempla??o do presente, admirando as maravilhas do progresso, anciando saciar-se dos gosos, que elle gera com m?o fecunda e prodiga, o romance, deixando tambem em repouso os archivos da historia, come?ou a inspirar-se nas scenas da vida actual. E ao passo que retratava a sociedade, dando colorido e relevo a cada uma das suas fei??es, lan?ava á arena da discuss?o as novas e grandes quest?es sociaes.

Porém, partindo do mesmo ponto, movidos por egual impulso, os romancistas contemporaneos, que se dedicaram a descrever os costumes e praticas da actualidade, dividiram-se em duas turmas, seguindo caminho differente. Uns, impellidos por uma idêa elevada e generosa, pintaram com c?res negras, mas verdadeiras, todas as angustias e miserias da sociedade moderna, estudando-lhes as causas, apontando os perigos futuros, fazendo avultar os defeitos e defficiencias das institui??es; chamando, em fim, a solicitude dos poderes publicos para o horrivel cancro, que vae corroendo o corpo social. á frente d'estes illustrados romancistas colocára-se Eugenio Sue.

Infelizmente, muitos discipulos d'esta eschola, esquecendo ou despresando os intuitos philosophicos do mestre, trataram sómente de deleitar; e reconhecendo as tendencias do seculo para os gosos sensuaes, e para os grandes sobresaltos do espirito e do cora??o, puzeram em ac??o todas as paix?es violentas, e todos os instinctos ferozes da humanidade. Compozeram d'est'arte, é bem certo, quadros grandiosos, cheios de vida e de anima??o, scintilantes de fogo e de energia, em que se succedem uns aos outros os episodios dramaticos, e as scenas tragicas. Mas, atravez das galas da poesia, com que os adornaram, e sob o brilho seductor dos ouropeis com que se esfor?am por atenuar, sen?o santificar, a hidiondez de torpezas e devassid?es repugnantes, transparece o virus da corrup??o da alma, ministrado em ta?a de ouro á mocidade inexperiente e ávida de commo??es fortes.

A outra turma de romancistas tem trilhado mais nobre senda, no desempenho de uma miss?o civilisadora e santa.

Os seus romances n?o deslumbrar?o, talvez, o espirito com o esplendor das imagens; n?o o sobresaltar?o com a rapida success?o de casos extraordinarios; n?o subjugam a raz?o, nem exp?em o cora??o a contínuo tremor com o longo encadeamento de commo??es violentas.

Como o prado, que, sob o sol da primavera, se veste de verdores, que vae matisando pouco a pouco de flores singelas, mas rescendendo de suaves aromas, resplandecentes e encantadoras pela viveza e variedade das c?res; e que no inverno troca as alegrias em tristezas, as galas em miseria, para outra vez folgar e enriquecer-se sob o novo sceptro de Flora; assim nas produc??es d'estes romancistas alternam-se as scenas meigas e suaves da familia com os tristes acasos da sorte, com as tribula??es da desventura, emfim, com as tempestades da vida. N'estes quadros avultam tambem os contrastes, como na natureza; os toques de luz e de sombra, colhidos nas vicissitudes da fortuna e no tumultuar das paix?es. Figuram ahi alguns dos vicios e crimes, que s?o no mundo moral a imagem das for?as destruidoras no mundo physico. Mas apresentam-se, n?o com o semblante vellado, embora por véo transparente, que mal deixa distinguir-lhes a fealdade; n?o com as fei??es embellesadas e disfar?adas com arrebiques e lou?ainhas, que fascinem e lhes conciliem as sympathias das almas ingenuas e credulas, mas sim taes quaes s?o, na sua completa nudez, em toda a sua asquerosa deformidade.

Finalmente, d'esta lucta entre o bem e o mal, figurada n'estes romances, sáe a virtude ou o arrependimento coroado pela felicidade, e o crime ou o vicio punido pela justi?a dos homens, ou pela de Deos, que dos proprios vicios e crimes fez gerar o castigo que os pune na terra.

A esta turma de romancistas, a que pertence a eschola allem?, veiu associar-se uma outra, ainda mais singela e modesta, talvez, mas tambem guiada pelo mesmo impulso generoso de deleitar, moralisando. Comp?e-se esta de um certo numero de auctores de contos e tradi??es populares, entre os quaes occupa logar de honra D. Antonio de Trueba.

You'll also like

THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: MARRY TO RIVAL'S SON

Ray Nhedicta

4.5

"Let's get married," Mia declares, her voice trembling despite her defiant gaze into Stefan's guarded brown eyes. She needs this, even if he seems untouchable. Stefan raises a skeptical brow. "And why would I do that?" His voice was low, like a warning, and it made her shiver even though she tried not to show it. "We both have one thing in common," Mia continues, her gaze unwavering. "Shitty fathers. They want to take what's ours and give it to who they think deserves it." A pointed pause hangs in the air. "The only difference between us is that you're an illegitimate child, and I'm not." Stefan studies her, the heiress in her designer armor, the fire in her eyes that matches the burn of his own rage. "That's your solution? A wedding band as a weapon?" He said ignoring the part where she just referred to him as an illegitimate child. "The only weapon they won't see coming." She steps closer, close enough for him to catch the scent of her perfume, gunpowder and jasmine. "Our fathers stole our birthrights. The sole reason they betrayed us. We join forces, create our own empire that'll bring down theirs." A beat of silence. Then, Stefan's mouth curves into something sharp. "One condition," he murmurs, closing the distance. "No divorces. No surrenders. If we're doing this, it's for life" "Deal" Mia said without missing a beat. Her father wants to destroy her life. She wouldn't give him the pleasure, she would destroy her life as she seems fit. ................ Two shattered heirs. One deadly vow. A marriage built on revenge. Mia Meyers was born to rule her father's empire (so she thought), until he named his bastard son heir instead. Stefan Sterling knows the sting of betrayal too. His father discarded him like trash. Now the rivals' disgraced children have a poisonous proposal: Marry for vengeance. Crush their fathers' legacies. Never speak of divorce. Whoever cracks first loses everything. Can these two rivals, united by their vengeful hearts, pull off a marriage of convenience to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs? Or will their fathers' animosity, and their own complicated pasts tear their fragile alliance apart?

Stripper's Love: I Married My Ex's Uncle

G~Aden

4.2

I'm a moaning mess as Antonio slams into me from behind. His hips hit me hard, and each deep thrust sends shockwaves through my body. My breasts bounce with every movement, my eyes roll back, and I moan his name without control. The pleasure he gives me is overwhelming-I can't hold it in. I feel my walls tighten around his thick length. The pressure builds fast, and then- I explode around him, my orgasm tearing through me. He groans loud and deep as he releases inside me, his hot seed spilling into me in thick pulses. Just when I think he's done, his grip shifts. He turns me over and lays me flat on the bed. His dark eyes stare into mine for a moment, filled with raw hunger. I glance down- He's still hard. Before I can react, he grabs my wrists, pins me down, and pushes himself inside me again. He fills me completely. My hips rise on instinct, meeting his rhythm. Our bodies move together, locked in a wild, uncontrollable dance. "You're fucking sweet," he groans, his voice rough and breathless. "I can't get enough of you... not after that night, Sol," he growls, slamming into me harder. The force of his words and his thrusts make my body shake. "Come for me," he commands, his voice low and full of heat. And just like that, my body trembles. Waves of pleasure crash over me. I cry out, shaking with the force of my orgasm. "Mine," he growls again, louder this time. His voice is feral, wild, like a beast claiming what belongs to him. The sound sends a shiver down my spine. *** Solene was betrayed, humiliated, and erased by Rowan Brook, the man she once called husband, Solene is left with nothing but her name and a burning hunger for revenge. She turns to the one man powerful enough to destroy the Brooks family from within: Rowan's estranged and dangerous uncle, Antonio Rodriguez. He's ruthless. A playboy who never sleeps with the same woman twice. But when Solene walks into his world, he doesn't just break the rules, he creates new ones just for her. What begins as a calculated game quickly spirals into obsession, power plays, and secrets too deadly to stay buried. Because Solene isn't just anyone's ex... she's the woman they should've never underestimated. Can she survive the price of revenge? Or will her heart become the next casualty? And when the truth comes out, will Antonio still choose her... or destroy her?

Traded Husbands, Tangled Hearts: Can Destiny Be Changed?

Mia Caldwell

4.8

In their previous lives, Gracie married Theo. Outwardly, they were the perfect academic couple, but privately, she became nothing more than a stepping stone for his ambition, and met a tragic end. Her younger sister Ellie wed Brayden, only to be abandoned for his true love, left alone and disgraced. This time, both sisters were reborn. Ellie rushed to marry Theo, chasing the success Gracie once had-unaware she was repeating the same heartbreak. Gracie instead entered a contract marriage with Brayden. But when danger struck, he defended her fiercely. Could fate finally rewrite their tragic endings?

Marrying Her Was Easy, Losing Her Was Hell

Michael Tretter

4.6

"Stella once savored Marc's devotion, yet his covert cruelty cut deep. She torched their wedding portrait at his feet while he sent flirty messages to his mistress. With her chest tight and eyes blazing, Stella delivered a sharp slap. Then she deleted her identity, signed onto a classified research mission, vanished without a trace, and left him a hidden bombshell. On launch day she vanished; that same dawn Marc's empire crumbled. All he unearthed was her death certificate, and he shattered. When they met again, a gala spotlighted Stella beside a tycoon. Marc begged. With a smirk, she said, ""Out of your league, darling."

The Queen Returns: Pampered By Her Three Powerhouse Brothers

Kleon Samorodnitsky

4.7

After five years of playing the perfect daughter, Rylie was exposed as a stand-in. Her fiancé bolted, friends scattered, and her adoptive brothers shoved her out, telling her to grovel back to her real family. Done with humiliation, she swore to claw back what was hers. Shock followed: her birth family ruled the town's wealth. Overnight, she became their precious girl. The boardroom brother canceled meetings, the genius brother ditched his lab, the musician brother postponed a tour. As those who spurned her begged forgiveness, Admiral Brad Morgan calmly declared, "She's already taken."

Shunned By An Alpha, Cherished By A Lycan

Baby Kemo

4.7

Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...

Contos escolhidos de D. Antonio de Trueba

Contents