Note

THESE are some lectures (the Clark lectures) which were delivered under the auspices of Trinity College, Cambridge, in the spring of 1927. They were informal, indeed talkative, in their tone, and it seemed safer when presenting them in book form not to mitigate the talk, in case nothing should be left at all. Words such as "I," "you," "one," "we," "curiously enough," "so to speak," "only imagine," and "of course" will consequently occur on every page and will rightly distress the sensitive reader; but he is asked to remember that if these words were removed others, perhaps more distinguished, might escape through the orifices they left, and that since the novel is itself often colloquial it may possibly withhold some of its secrets from the graver and grander streams of criticism, and may reveal them to backwaters and shallows.

These lectures (the Clark lectures) were given in the spring of 1927 under the sponsorship of Trinity College, Cambridge. Their tone was informal, even chatty. In turning them into a book, it seemed safer not to tone down the chatter, in case nothing remained. Words such as "I," "you," "one," "we," "curiously enough," "so to speak," "only imagine," and "of course" will therefore appear on every page. These words will rightly trouble the sensitive reader. But that reader is asked to remember what might happen if these words were removed. Other words, perhaps more distinguished, might escape through the holes left behind. And since the novel itself is often conversational, it may possibly keep some secrets from criticism’s more solemn, grander streams. The novel may instead reveal those secrets to backwaters and shallows.