What is a Novel?

Lecture 3
Dr. Reem A. Anwar
 Novel meaning

• A novel is the most common kind of literary genre today.

However, the term is widely encompassing and can be hard to
define. A novel is a fictional narrative typically over fifty
thousand words. It focuses on specific and complex characters
and explores the human experience.
• The modern novel is considered to have begun in the
seventeenth century and was considered to be a revolutionary
genre. It focused on ordinary people and
their everyday experiences. In comparison, previous popular
literary genres tended to focus on those in the upper classes.
For example, tales of medieval chivalry rarely included
characters living ordinary lives.
• To recap:
• A novel is a fictional narrative of over fifty
thousand words. It contains complex
characters and focuses on a specific part of
the human experience.
 Function of the novel

• The main function of a novel is to tell a story. Think of any novel you
have read: You likely read it for the story! However, as a genre, there is
more to the novel. Many novels try to represent something, often a
particular aspect of the human experience. For example, a novel like
A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens shows the reality of poverty
in Victorian England. Dickens is communicating a specific kind of
existence here.
• We may take the novel and its function for granted now, but this was not
always the case. When the genre was relatively new, many authors saw
its function as representing ordinary people and their lives. Due to high
poverty and low literacy rates, this had often not previously been a
priority in literature. Many texts focused on the upper classes. In the
seventeenth century, the novel gained popularity because people were
reading texts that they truly felt they could relate to.
 Characteristics of a novel

• Below are the important characteristics present in a

novel.
• ✔ Fiction: A key characteristic of a novel is that it is
fictional. The stories being told have been created by
the author.
• ✔ Setting: Novels have a recognisable and defined
setting. This may change throughout the story. Settings
can also tell readers a lot about the kind of life the
characters lead. A setting does not have to be
necessarily realistic, but, in a novel, it will be fully
developed and, therefore, plausible.
• Plot: As novels are fictional, the plot is central. It
creates the story. The plot concerns the various actions
and happenings that the author creates in order to
propel the story forward. Without the plot, there is no
story!
• ✔ Characters: Characters are also essential to the novel.
They are complex and developed in this genre. Readers
can relate to them and characters are often how
meaning is communicated by the author. If there were
no characters, the plot would have no one to 'happen'
to.
• Dialogue: Dialogue is how characters communicate
with one another in a story, just as people do in real
life. Some novels rely more heavily on dialogue while
others do not. Important tip: when analysing novels,
be aware that what a character says may not always
be what they feel/mean!
• ✔ Narrator: Narration is how a story is told. This can
be in the first, second, or third person. A narrator can
heavily impact our perspective of a story. Remember,
certain narrators may not always be reliable!
 Types of novels in literature

• There are many different kinds of novels as

the field is expanding all the time. Here, we
will focus on some of the most common
subgenres.
 Romance novel

• Romance novels revolve around a love story,

typically between two people. This relationship is
usually beset by struggles along the way that the
couple must overcome to find happiness
together. Another common feature of romance
novels is the love triangle. These novels also
typically feature a happy ending. Examples of
romance novels include Pride and Prejudice
(1812) by Jane Austen and The Notebook (1996)
by Nicholas Sparks.
 Mystery novel

• A mystery novel does what it says in the title: it involves

a mystery that is central to the story! Characters frequently
try to uncover this mystery and usually have done so by the
end of the novel. If the mystery is left unsolved, this novel
may have a cliffhanger. This means the ending is left
unresolved and there may be further novels to read. While
not exclusively, many mysteries in these novels are murders
or crimes of some sort. Detective fiction is a popular kind of
mystery novel. Murder on the Orient Express (1934) by
Agatha Christie and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) by
Arthur Conan Doyle are two examples of mystery novels.
 Sci-fi novel

• Since the mid-twentieth century, science fiction novels have

become increasingly popular. The genre essentially takes
science and stretches it as far as the author's imagination
will take them. The ideas in many sci-fi novels are based on
real science that has been creatively expanded. This
subgenre often includes space, aliens, or similarly
fantastical creatures. A key thing to remember about sci-fi
novels is that they regularly use these imagined concepts to
critique real society. These novels can be highly
metaphorical. Examples of the genre include Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein (1818) and Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert.
 Thriller novel

• Thriller novels are active and intense. They are

named as such because they aim to invoke thrill and
suspense in their readers. This may come from the
novel's plot revolving around the characters' need
to solve or discover something. Thrillers attempt to
surprise their readers, characterised by their many
narrative twists and turns. Psychological thrillers are
particularly popular. Gone Girl (2012) by Gillian Flynn
and Misery (1987) by Stephen King are both thrillers.
 Historical novel

• Historical novels are set in a previous time to the one

they are written in. This gap can be twenty years, or two
hundred. An important element of these novels is
historical accuracy. Authors of this genre make
extensive efforts to accurately capture the period they
are writing about. It may be one that happened long
before they or their readers were born. Authors often
use historical fiction to subtly criticise their present-day
society. Examples of historical fiction are Atonement
(2001) by Ian McEwan and Markus Zusak's The Book
Thief (2005).
 Novel - Key takeaways

• A novel is one of the most common literary

genres.
• It is a work of narrative fiction with a
developed plot and complex characters.
• Setting, plot, and dialogue are also key features
of the novel.
• Romances, mystery novels, sci-fi novels,
thrillers, and historical novels are subgenres of
the novel.