NOVEL

Word History:
The term novel is a truncation of the Italian word novella.
Definition:
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in
prose and published as a book.
OR
An invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain
complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience.
First invention:
The first novel is usually credited to be Defoe's Robinson Crusoe which
was first published in 1719 (Lee).
Importance:
A novel is a piece of long narrative in literary prose. Narrative prose
is meant to entertain and tell a story. It is a description of a chain of
events which includes a cast of characters, a setting, and an ending.
Most publishers prefer novels that are in the 80,000- to 120,000-word
range, depending on the genre.

Purpose:

Novels provide knowledge, entertainment, encourage creativity and offer

an escape for readers.

Elements:

Few important elements of novel are as given:

i. Plot: Plot is the chain of connected events that make up a narrative.

The king died and then the queen died, is a story. 'The king died, and
then the queen died of grief is a plot.
Or Plot is a literary device that writers use to structure what happens
in a story.
ii. Character:A character is any person, animal, or figure represented in
a literary work. Characters are essential to a good story, and it is the
 main characters that have the greatest effect on the plot or are the
most affected by the events of the story.
iii. Setting:It is a literary device that allows the writer of a narrative to
establish the time, location, and environment in which it takes
place.For example, the fairy tale “Cinderella” traditionally features a
backdrop setting, such as long ago in a faraway kingdom.
iv. Narrative method:  It is the way in which a writer conveys what they
want to say to their reader and the methods that they use to develop
a story.
v. Point of view:The position of the narrator in relation to the story. For
example, if the narrator is a participant in the story, it is more likely
that the point of view would be first person, as the narrator is
witnessing and interacting with the events and other characters
firsthand.
vi. Symbolism:It is a literary device that uses symbols, be they words,
people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something
beyond the literal meaning.
vii. Theme:The main idea or underlying meaning a writer explores in a
novel.
viii. Tension:That element in a novel that evokes emotions such as
worry, anxiety, fear and stress on the part of both the reader and the
characters in a novel.
ix. Climax: The point at which the highest level of interest and emotional
response is achieved.
x. Chronology:  Arranging events in the order in which they occurred in
time, it's called putting them in “chronological order”.
Uses of Novel:
The uses of novels are as given:
1. Interpretation of life
2. Entertainment
3. Propaganda
4. Agent of change in language or thoughts
5. Creator of life style
Styles:
i. Romanticism:
Romantic literature is marked by six primary characteristics: celebration
of nature, focus on the individual and spirituality, celebration of isolation
and melancholy, interest in the common man, idealization of women,
and personification and pathetic fallacy.
e.g:Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
ii. Realism:
Literary realism is a literary movement that represents reality by
portraying mundane, everyday experiences as they are in real
life.Literary realism seeks to tell a story as truthfully as possible instead
of dramatizing or romanticizing it.
e.g:House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
iii. Naturalism:
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from 1865 to 1900 that
used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and
environment had inescapable force in shaping human character.
Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles
Darwin.
e.g:The grapes are wrath by John Steinbeck
iv. Impressionism:
Impressionistic writing is a style that relies on abstract associations, the
subjective point of view of the characters, and the rendering of sensory
details to relay the “impression” of a person or event. The impressionistic
style of writing leaves the reader to determine the author's ultimate
meaning.
e.g:Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad
v. Expressionism:
Expressionism is a style of art, literature, and music which uses symbols
and exaggeration to represent emotions, rather than representing
physical reality.
e.g:The metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Types of Novel:
1. Historical Novel:
A novel that has as its setting a period of history and that attempts to
convey the spirit, manners, and social conditions of a past age with
realistic detail and fidelity (which is in some cases only apparent fidelity)
to historical fact.
For example:March(Geraldine Brooks),Wolf hall(Hilary Mantel)
2. Sentimental Novel:
Any novel that exploits the reader's capacity for tenderness,
compassion, or sympathy to a disproportionate degree by presenting a
beclouded or unrealistic view of its subject.
For example:Pamela(Samuel Richardson),The fool of quality(Henry
Brooke)
3. Gothic Novel:
It is widely characterized by atmosphere of horror, fear, death, gloom,
darkness ,mystery and romantic elements ,such as nature individuality
and high emotions.
For example:Vathec (William Beckford),The Monk(Mathew Lewis)
4. Epistolary Novel:
In an epistolary novel, the story is told through the form of love letters,
diary entries, newspaper clippings, telegrams, or other documents. A
modern novel in the epistolary form may include electronic documents
such as emails or text messages.
For example:Classira(Samuel Richardson),Evelina(Fanny Burney)
5. Pastoral Novel:
Fiction that presents rural life as an idyllic condition, with exquisitely
clean shepherdesses and sheep.
For example:Lycidas(John Milton),Thyrsis(Mathew Arnold)

THE END