SUBMITTED BY HINA UMAR

SUBMITTED TO MAM SALMA

ASSIGMENT LITERARY FORMS AND MOVEMENT
ID NO 14638
DEPARTMENT BS ENGLISH
SEMESTER 2ND

Q NO.1 Write the summary of the lecture based on “Reasons for the rise of nove”.
ANS.Reasons for the Rise of the Novel in the Eighteenth
Century
Introduction:
The most important gifts of the eighteenth century to English literature are the periodical essay and the
novel, neither of which had any classical precedent. Both of them were prose forms and eminently
suited to the genius of eighteenth-century English men and women. The periodical essayist and the
novelist were both exponents of the same sensibility and culture, and worked on the same intellectual,
sentimental, and realistic plane, with the oft-avowed aim of instructing the readers and making them
lead a more purposeful and virtuous life.

Of these two new literary genres the periodical essay was a peculiar product of the environment
prevailing at that time. It was born with the eighteenth century and died with it after enjoying a career
of phenomenal popularity. The novel, on the other hand, survived valiantly the turn of the century and
has since then been not only managing to live, but has been growing from strength to strength and
adding to its popularity. Even today, when the current of poetry has unhappily run into the arid vistas of
Qcold intellectualism and clever phrase-mongering and the real drama has become as defunct as the
dodo, the novel, which originated in the eighteenth century, is holding up its head as a dominant literary
genre.

It was immediately after 1740 that the English novel suddenly arose from the lower forms and came to
embody, as no other literary form did, the spirit of the age. The glorious work of Richardson and Fielding
was followed by that of the two other major novelists of the eighteenth century, namely, Smollett and
Sterne. Soon the whole English literary air was thick with a staggeringly vast number of novels produced
by a host of writers. Let us consider the important reasons for the rise of the novel in the eighteenth
century, as also, by implication, for its spectacular popularity.

The following are the reasons for the rise of the novel in 18th century
England.

1)Rise of Middle Class

The literature of the 17th century flourished under the patronage of the upper classes. The 18th century
in England social history is characterized by the rise of the middle class.

Because of tremendous growth in trade and commerce, the England merchant class was becoming
wealthy and this newly rich class wanted to excel in the field of literature also.

This class was neglected by the high-born writers and their tastes and aspirations were expressed by the
novelists of the time. The Novel was, in fact, the product of the middle class. With the rise of the middle
class, hence, the rise of the novel was quite natural.

2)Newspapers & Magazines

In the 18th century, the appearance of newspapers and magazines attracted a large number of readers
from the middle class. These new readers had little interest in the romances and the tragedies which
had interested the upper class.

Thus need for a new type of literature rose that would express the new ideas of the 18th century and
this new type of literature was none but novel.

3) FALL of Romance:

Romance was mainly for the Elite class and the got bored from it, and it was not such successful in
grasping the attention of the readers because the setting in which Romances took place were centuries
old and outdated, while the novel talks more about the contemporary issues which used to intrigue the
readers more.

Secondly, Romances were always written 3rd person while novel has autobiographical style which looks
more personal and recent.

Thirdly, Romance was like epic. The style was really elevated and it used to discuss the great adventures
of great heroes while novel is for common people and people used to relate to the stories in novel.

And lastly, the plot in Romance used to be an extended one while the plot of a novel is a more compact
and precise one.

4. The printing press:

Before the printing press i.e. 17th century, the word novel was synonym to news. They can either be
fictional or factual and used to travel through journalist balled. The contribution of printing press was
that it published those journalistic balled and it become easier for people. The main role of printing
press was that it changed the mode of writing from verse to prose and people also distinguished
between news and novel.

5)Rise of Realism

The 18th-century literature was characterized by the spirit of realism and romantic features like
enthusiasm, passion, imaginations, etc. declined in this period.

Reason, intellect, correctness, satirical spirit, etc. were the main characteristics of 18th-century
literature. The English novel had all these characteristics.

6)Role of Women

In the 18th century, women of upper classes and the middle classes could partake in a few activities of
men. Although they could not engage themselves in administration, politics, hunting, drinking, etc.
hence, in their leisure time, they used to read novels.
7)Decline of Drama

The decline of drama also contributed to the rise of the novel in the 18th century. In the 18th century,
drama lost the fame that it had in the Elizabethan Age.

It did not remain an influential literary form. Hence some others had to take its place and its place was
filled by the English novel after 1740 A.D. Thus the decline of drama led to the rise of the English novel.

8) LEISURE

Due to industrial revolution, all the manual work was done by machines then it gave people a lot
of free time to enjoy themselves and thus they started paying more attention to novels.

Q NO.2 What is your understanding of the literary genre, drama? Write in your
own words after studying the lectures based on this genre

ANS: Definition of Drama

Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is

one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a play written for
theater, television, radio, and film.

In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in pantomime or

dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of audience on the
stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”

The true drama requires a plot, or series of related episodes in which the conflict leads to a climax. It
requires actors, or impersonators, who take on the characters of the story. Finally, it requires a setting
or locale in which the action occurs. Of all literary form the stage play is the nearest to life; it , in fact, a
direct copy of life presented not through the artificial medium of the printed page, but by human beings
who unfold the story and the conflict in lively action and dialogue

Since human experiences and moods are countless, drama takes many forms and is classified in terms of
its objectives, its content, its moods, its length and other elements that enter into its construction. Thus
in the Elizabethan period a light satirization of country life with happy coding called a “pastoral comedy”
(q.v.); a play in which the plot was draw from historical facts was called a “chronicic Play” (q.v.); a
serious drama in which the hero and other leading charactiers were dead at the end was called a
“tragedy” (q.v.). A shadow-like play which actors interpret the action in dumb show is “pantomime”
(q.v). A highly-compressive way in which a single act contains the whole action is called a “one-act play”;
classical drama and their English imitation have five acts, and most full-length modern plays have three.

Drama film is a genre that relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters.
While Drama film relies heavily on this kind of development, dramatic themes play a large role in the
plot as well. Often, these dramatic themes are taken from intense, real life issues. Whether heroes or
heroines are facing a conflict from the outside or a conflict within themselves, Drama film aims to tell an
honest story of human struggles.

Examples of Drama in Literature

Example #1: Much Ado About Nothing (By William Shakespeare)

Much Ado About Nothing is the most frequently performed Shakespearian comedy in modern times.
The play is romantically funny, in that love between Hero and Claudio is laughable, as they never even
get a single chance to communicate on-stage until they get married.

Their relationship lacks development and depth. They end up merely as caricatures, exemplifying what
people face in life when their relationships are internally weak. Love between Benedick and Beatrice is
amusing, as initially their communications are very sparky, and they hate each other. However, they all
of sudden make up, and start loving each other.

Example #2: Oedipus Rex (By Sophocles)

Tragedy:

Sophocles’ mythical and immortal drama Oedipus Rex is thought to be his best classical tragedy.
Aristotle has adjudged this play as one of the greatest examples of tragic drama in his book, Poetics, by
giving the following reasons:

The play arouses emotions of pity and fear, and achieves the tragic catharsis.

It shows the downfall of an extraordinary man of high rank, Oedipus.

The central character suffers due to his tragic error called hamartia; as he murders his real father, Laius,
and then marries his real mother, Jocasta.

Hubris is the cause of Oedipus’ downfall.

Example #3: The Importance of Being Earnest (By Oscar Wilde)

Farce:

Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a very popular example of Victorian farce. In this
play, a man uses two identities: one as a serious person, Jack (his actual name), which he uses for Cesily,
his ward, and as a rogue named Ernest for his beloved woman, Gwendolyn.

Unluckily, Gwendolyn loves him partially because she loves the name Ernest. It is when Jack and Earnest
must come on-stage together for Cesily, then Algernon comes in to play Earnest’ role, and his ward
immediately falls in love with the other “Ernest.” Thus, two young women think that they love the same
man – an occurrence that amuses the audience.
DRAMA SUB-GENRES

Dramedy

Dramedy film is a genre that has a dramatic tone yet important elements of comedy. In dramedy film,
the amount of drama and comedy are almost equally balanced. This balance provides comedic relief for
the audience while still addressing serious issues. Melodrama

Melodrama film is a sub-genre that appeals to the heightened emotions of the audience. The plot and
characters often are more unrealistic than those found in the traditional drama film. Melodrama usually
caters towards a female audience.

Period piece

Period piece is a sub-genre of Drama film that focuses on a specific time era. The era in which the film is
set add not only to the plot, but to the characters and costumes as well. A period piece films are often
based on novel. These films tend to have a longer run time than traditional Dramas.

Examples: Pride and prejudice, Mansfield Park. Romeo and Juliet.

Biography

A biography drama incorporates dramatic elements into a biographical film. These films differ from
historical and “based in truth” films because they specifically chronicle the life of a person or a group of
people. Biography films attempt to show a comprehensive and accurate picture of the specific subject
thus they tend to be serious and intense.

Courtroom

Courtroom drama film used the justice system as a main component of the plot. The story usually
unfolds inside a courtroom with the prosecutor, judge, jury, and the defense. Tension plays a large part
in courtroom dramas as the verdict can often mean life or death.

Examples: A few Good Men, to kill a Mockingbird, 12 angry men.

Historical

Historical is a sub-genre of Drama film that examines a specific time in history or group of people. Many
historical films aim to portray true evens and people. However, most historical films are only loosely
based on these events and people. These films tend to focus on the more glorified societies and people
in history such as the Roman, specific kings and Queens, or important political figure

REFERENCES:
https://literarydevices.net/drama/

https://englishsummary.com/rise-english-novel/

http://neoenglishsystem.blogspot.com/2010/12/reasons-for-rise-of-novel-in-eighteenth.html