History and Definition of the Novel

A. Novel Writing: History

With origins dating back to poetic prose from thousands of years ago -- Elizabethan times,
fanciful French romance narratives from the mid-17th century, and episodic, central-figure
adventures from the Spanish Don Quixote era -- novel writing is an art form that has long
been an integral part of our culture.
Yet, just because novel writing predates many long-established civilizations, you should not
be discouraged from pursuing your dream.
Rather, much evidence points to the fact that even a first-time novelist can achieve great
success. Even if success takes the form of personal gratification, that should prove to be a
sufficient enough payoff to carry you forward as you embark on this exciting and immensely
fulfilling journey.

B. What is a Novel?

1. A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded
by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters
2. The literary genre represented by novels
Derived form the Italian word 'novella', the formalized term, "novel," was not used until end
of the 18th century. In its infancy, the term was used during the Medieval Period as a literary
classification to describe a shortened tale that relayed a generalized sentiment reflective of
the society-at-large.
In short, the goal of a novel is to offer the reader a streamlined, cohesive story in which all of
the components seamlessly combine to present a statement on the human condition.
In our contemporary world, the use of "novel" has shifted to focus more on the central
character, than on the plot. Also playing a defining role in the novel, is the sense of realism.
Although novels are developed as fictional stories, the underlying element inherent in all, are
truisms based upon human behavior, and the ways in which we interact with others.
Thus, in line with this definition, the plot lines of a novel, though referring to a fictional
universe, need to be plausible in the sense they could happen in everyday life. Examples of
such humanistic elements include: aging, logical time sequences, conventional ideas; e.g.,
necessity of travel to distant locales, money (barter) to purchase goods and services, a 24-
hour period being composed of phases of day and night.
 
C. Novel Features

As a whole, the three primary features of a traditional novel include:

A cohesive, believable plot structure
Well-defined, credible characters
A strong undercurrent of reality
It has been said that a work of fiction is measured by how well, or poorly, the author is able
to unify the story and control its impact. Therefore, the only obligation of the writer is to
make the story flow well for the reader, and have strong elements of interest.
Novel Differentiations

Although the "realism" element may be consistent among all novels, a range of other
qualities may be used to differentiate one from another.
For example, while one aim of some novels may be to entertain its readers, others may strive
to engage and stimulate readers in an effort to expand their conscious awareness of the
greater world in which they live. Others may aspire to reach readers on a more emotional
and/or psychological level, by presenting humanistic references in terms of the form of
conflicts, fears, and desires.
According to John Braine, the British novelist popular during the 1950s, the novel is the
most variable of literary forms, for it has no hard-and-fast rules about subject, technique, or
purpose.
 
D. Classic Examples

Over the years, novels that have remained in our minds and hearts to earn the title of
"classic" include: Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811), and Pride and Prejudice
(1813); Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre (1847); Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (1847);
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850); Herman Melville's Moby Dick (1851);
Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884); F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great
Gatsby (1925); Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926); William Faulkner's The
Sound and the Fury (1929); and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (1939).