Letters on Chivalry and Romance

work by Hurd

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June 30, 2026

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Richard Hurd's Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762) defended romance as a delightful escape from rationalism, a necessary "holiday from common sense". This perspective influenced the romantic revival of the 18th century, inspiring works like the romantic epic Oberon and Sir Walter Scott's historical novels. Hurd's ideas helped recapture the spirit and structure of medieval romance, drawing from traditions like those of Chrétien de Troyes and Ludovico Ariosto. The concept of chivalry itself, originating from medieval knights, evolved to encompass ideals of gallantry and honor, influencing European manners and literature for centuries.123

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romance
The 18th-century romantic revival
…by Richard Hurd in his Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762). To Hurd, romance is not truth but a delightful and necessary holiday from common sense. This definition of romance (to which both Ariosto and Chrétien de Troyes would no doubt have subscribed) inspired on the one hand the romantic…
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…by Richard Hurd in his Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762). To Hurd, romance is not truth but a delightful and necessary holiday from common sense. This definition of romance (to which both Ariosto and Chrétien de Troyes would no doubt have subscribed) inspired on the one hand the romantic…
Read More