▁The ▁anth ology ▁is ▁sub div ided ▁into ▁sections ▁such ▁as ▁" m oral ▁and ▁did actic ▁pieces " ▁and ▁" des cript ive ▁and ▁path etic ▁pieces "; ▁it ▁includes ▁poetry ▁and ▁pro se ▁by , ▁among ▁others , ▁Alexander ▁Pope , ▁Hann ah ▁More , ▁Maria ▁Ed gew orth , ▁Samuel ▁Johnson , ▁James ▁Thom son ▁and ▁H ester ▁Chap one . ▁ ▁Bar ba uld ' s ▁ 5 0 - volume ▁series ▁of ▁The ▁British ▁Nov el ists , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 0 ▁with ▁a ▁broad ▁intro duct ory ▁ess ay ▁on ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁novel , ▁allowed ▁her ▁to ▁place ▁her ▁mark ▁on ▁literary ▁history . ▁It ▁was ▁" the ▁first ▁English ▁edition ▁to ▁make ▁compreh ensive ▁critical ▁and ▁historical ▁claims " ▁and ▁was ▁in ▁every ▁respect ▁" a ▁canon - making ▁enter prise ". ▁In ▁an ▁insight ful ▁ess ay , ▁Bar ba uld ▁legit im ises ▁the ▁novel , ▁then ▁still ▁a ▁controvers ial ▁genre , ▁by ▁connecting ▁it ▁to ▁ancient ▁Pers ian ▁and ▁Greek ▁literature . ▁For ▁her , ▁a ▁good ▁novel ▁is ▁" an ▁ep ic ▁in ▁pro se , ▁with ▁more ▁of ▁character ▁and ▁less ▁( inde ed ▁in ▁modern ▁nov els ▁nothing ) ▁of ▁the ▁super natural ▁mach in ery ." ▁Bar ba uld ▁maintain s ▁that ▁novel - reading ▁has ▁a ▁multip licity ▁of ▁benefits . ▁Not ▁only ▁is ▁it ▁a ▁" dom estic ▁pleasure ", ▁but ▁it ▁is ▁also ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁" inf us [