Skip to content

Ask an Academic

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us
Art gallery

Characterisation of Novels

September 20, 2019 by AskanAcademic.com

An explanation of the roots of the novel and the features that distinguished it, and continue to, as a literary form

Question

How are novels characterised?

Answer

The ‘novel’ form is usually agreed to have first generated in 18th century Europe – the term was used to refer to fiction texts entering the market which exhibited distinct and new, or indeed novel, characteristics – they were often shorter than the extended romance sagas of before, and maintained closer adherence to what would later be called literary realism. For example, amidst the early novels:

-There is a general lack of fantastical or magical events as part of their narratives

-They present the passage of time in a focused fashion, without skipping or glossing over large stretches of it

-They go into careful descriptive detail regarding characters, scenes and objects

-Some told stories set specifically in the contexts they had been written in, without recourse to the distant past, exotic distant lands, or fantastical otherworlds

-Several of the above factors meant that they often presented mundane and unsavoury aspects of reality, like the specific details of poverty, the precise actions followed by the protagonist to gain sustenance or money, and legal or medical processes.

Discussion of the distinguishing features of the novel from its 18th century origins has been saliently undertaken by Ian Watt in The Rise of the Novel (1957). Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) is often touted as one of the first novels, and the above features are quite visible in it and its immediate successors: this approach to realism was followed even more strongly in the novels of the 19th century, and it has remained the default mode of prose fiction writing to this day. Even when dealing with pointedly un-real subject matter like in modern fantasy novels, thorough descriptive detail and focused attention to the passage of time typically remain present.

References

Post navigation

Previous Post:

What is Socialism?

Next Post:

The most Fundamental Principle in a Democracy

Search Q&As

Categories

  • Art Media and Literature (74)
  • Business and Management (256)
  • Computing and ICT (14)
  • Construction and Engineering (35)
  • Education (90)
  • Environmental Sciences (2)
  • Finance and Economics (91)
  • Health (64)
  • Languages (12)
  • Law (88)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Medical Sciences (19)
  • Politics and International Relations (83)
  • Research Methodology (1)
  • Science (49)
  • Social Sciences (101)

Archives

Who We Are

Askanacademic.com is owned and operated by All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Data Controller No: Z1821391.

Registered office:
Venture House
Cross Street
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 7PJ

Main Navigation

  • Home
  • Ask a Question
  • Contact Us

Legals

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Categories

  • Business and Management
  • Law
  • Finance and Economics
  • Health
An an Academic Logo
© 2023 Ask an Academic | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject
Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT