Literary terms on Novel

Literary terms : Novel 

1. Novel:- The genre called 'novel' resists neat and tidy definition because of its tremendous variety in type, form and subject-matter. However, it may be defined as a lengthy fictional narrative in prose dealing with characters, incidents and settings that imitate those found in real life. Usually the novel is concerned with the depiction of middle-class and working-class characters rather than the legendary heroes. These characters are engaged in such ordinary pursuits as falling in love, getting married, making money, contending with their environment, with other characters or with their own limitations, struggling for advancement in their society and so on. The author, while inventing people and situations, tries to give the impression that he reports the facts as they occur.

2. Epistolary novel:- As the word 'epistle' suggests, the epistolary novel is written in the form of letters. The only narrative mode is the exchanging of a series of letters among the different characters of the story. The plot grows out of those letters, written by the different characters of the novel at different times and on different affairs. Richardson's Pamela, Smollett's Humphrey Clinker etc. are some examples of epistolary novel.

3. Picaresque novel:- A picaresque novel, in the strict sense, is a novel with a 'picaroon' (Spanish 'picaro'— a rogue or scoundrel) as its hero or heroine. The hero or heroine usually recounts his or her escapades in a first person narrative. The story generally is concerned with the escapades of a rascal who lives by his wits and who participates in a lot of adventures, many of them being immoral. Picaresque fiction is realistic in manner, episodic in structure and often satiric in aim. Fielding's Tom Jones, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe are classic examples of picaresque novel.

4. Stream of consciousness novel:- Stream of consciousness novel is a type of fiction which depicts the continuous flow of sense, perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories in the human mind. This modern type of novel is born under the influence of the new development of psychology, which states that human mind is ruminative, that the past, present and future are simultaneously present in human mind. According to this theory, thoughts cannot exist separated from each other, but flow in a continuous stream. The proponents of this type of novel have dispensed with the typical story-telling method and plunged within the minds of characters instead of social actions and interaction. Joyce's Ulysses, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway are some fine examples of Stream of consciousness novel.

5. Historical novel:- Historical novel is a type of fiction which takes its setting, some of its characters and events from history. The historical milieu and events are fairly developed by the writer. The author fuses and harmonizes fact and fiction, historical data and fictional romance. While evoking the interest of his readers to the romance of his tale, the writer remains loyal as much as possible to the spirit of the age which he represents in his work. Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, Dickens's A Tale of two Cities etc. are fine examples of historical novel.

6. River novel:- What we call river novel is a distinctively 20th century phenomenon. As the name indicates, a river novel continuously flows through a number of books, tracing the history of a single character or a group of characters. Usually each part can be enjoyed as a seperate book. Galsworthy's widely acknowledged novel, The Forsyte Saga, is a brilliant example of river novel. It is a trilogy, composed of three novels — The Man of Property, In Chancery, To Let. The story deals with the four or five generations of the Forsyte family and covers a period of thirty-four years.

7. War novel:- The fact that war and violence have played a vital role in the history of the 20th century has given birth to a new trend in modern fiction — war novel. The most powerful novels of the First World War came from Germany and France. However, in England, Richard Aldington's Death of a Hero, published in 1920, was no less an exposure of the horrors of war, of the shameless lies of the politicians and the terrible victimization of the young. Similarly, Evelyn Waugh's The Sword of Honour is a fine war novel which came after the Second World War.

8. Sentimental novel / Novel of sensibility:- Sentimental novel was extremely popular during the later 18th century. Sentimental novels usually present the extremely virtuous and intensely sensitive heroes and heroines of the middle class. They are shown to be involved in distresses of various sorts for the purpose of evoking pity and tears from the reader. Richardson's Pamela, Sterne's Tristram Shandy etc. are some examples of sentimental novel.

9. Regional novel:- Regional novel is a type of fiction which focuses on a specific geographical region or locality, recreating as accurately as possible its unique setting, speech, customs, manners, beliefs and history. Thomas Hardy's novels, set in the countryside of Dorset ("Wessex"), are examples of regional literature.