I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a wicked monster, his opposite; and a pretty girl, who finds a champion. Bravery and virtue conquer beauty; and vice, after seeming to triumph through a certain number of pages, is sure to be discomfited in the last volume, when justice overtakes him, and honest folks come by their own.


The Works of William Makepeace Thackeray: History of Henry Esmond and the Lectures (ed. 1899)

William Makepeace Thackeray Quotes

I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a...

I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a...

I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a...

I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a...