Epistolary Novel
An epistolary
novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The
usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings
and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic
"documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs,
and e-mails have
also come into use. The word epistolary is
derived from Latin from the Greek word
ἐπιστολή epistolē, meaning a letter (see epistle).
The
epistolary form can add greater realism to
a story, because it mimics the workings of real life. It is thus able to
demonstrate differing points of view without recourse to the device of an omniscient narrator.
The
epistolary novel as a genre became popular in the 18th century in the works of
such authors as Samuel
Richardson, with his immensely successful novels Pamela (1740)
and Clarissa (1749).
In France, there was Lettres
persanes (1721) by Montesquieu,
followed by Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse (1761)
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Laclos' Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782),
which used the epistolary form to great dramatic effect, because the sequence
of events was not always related directly or explicitly. In Germany, there
was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werther (1774)
(The Sorrows of Young Werther)
and Friedrich Hölderlin's Hyperion. The first North
American novel, The History of Emily Montague (1769) by Frances
Brooke was written in epistolary form.
Starting
in the 18th century, the epistolary form was subject to much ridicule,
resulting in a number of savage burlesques. The most notable
example of these was Henry
Fielding's Shamela (1741), written as a parody of Pamela.
In it, the female narrator can be found wielding a pen and scribbling her diary
entries under the most dramatic and unlikely of circumstances. Oliver
Goldsmith used the form to satirical effect in The Citizen of the World,
subtitled "Letters from a Chinese Philosopher Residing in London to his
Friends in the East" (1760–61). So did the diarist Fanny
Burney in a successful comic first novel, Evelina (1788).
The
epistolary novel slowly fell out of use in the late 18th century.
Although Jane Austen tried her hand at the
epistolary in juvenile writings and her novella Lady
Susan (1794), she abandoned this structure for her later
work. It is thought that her lost novel First Impressions, which
was redrafted to become Pride and Prejudice, may have
been epistolary: Pride and Prejudice contains an unusual
number of letters quoted in full and some play a critical role in the plot.
The
epistolary form nonetheless saw continued use, surviving in exceptions or in
fragments in nineteenth-century novels. In Honoré de Balzac's novel Letters of Two Brides,
two women who became friends during their education at a convent correspond
over a 17-year period, exchanging letters describing their lives. Mary
Shelley employs the epistolary form in her novel Frankenstein (1818).
Shelley uses the letters as one of a variety of framing devices, as the story
is presented through the letters of a sea captain and scientific explorer
attempting to reach the north pole who encounters Victor Frankenstein and
records the dying man's narrative and confessions. Published in 1848, Anne
Brontë's novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is
framed as a retrospective letter from one of the main heroes to his friend and
brother-in-law with the diary of the eponymous tenant inside it. In the late
19th century, Bram Stoker released one of the most
widely recognized and successful novels in the epistolary form to date, Dracula.
Printed in 1897, the novel is compiled entirely of letters, diary entries,
newspaper clippings, telegrams, doctor's notes, ship's logs, and the like.
There
are 3 types of epistolary novels: monologic (giving the letters of only one
character, like Letters of a Portuguese Nun and The
Sorrows of Young Werther), dialogic (giving the letters of two characters,
like Mme Marie Jeanne Riccoboni's Letters
of Fanni Butler (1757), and polylogic (with three or more
letter-writing characters, such as in Bram Stoker's Dracula).
In addition, a crucial element in polylogic epistolary novels like Clarissa,
and Dangerous Liaisons is the dramatic device of 'discrepant
awareness': the simultaneous but separate correspondences of the heroines and
the villains creating dramatic tension.
An
important strategic device in the epistolary novel for creating the impression
of authenticity of the letters is the fictional editor.
PICARESQUE
NOVEL
The picaresque novel (Spanish: picaresca,
from pícaro, for "rogue"
or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction that
depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", of
low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrupt society.[1] Picaresque
novels typically adopt a realistic style,
with elements of comedy and satire. This
style of novel originated
in Spain in
1554 and flourished throughout Europe for
more than 200 years, though the term "picaresque novel" was only
coined in 1810. It continues to influence modern literature. The term is also
sometimes used to describe works, like Cervantes' Don Quixote and
Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers,
which only contain some of the genre's elements.
According to the traditional view of
Thrall and Hibbard (first published in 1936), seven qualities distinguish the
picaresque novel or narrative form, all or some of which an author may employ
for effect:[2]
·
The main
character is often of low character or social class. He or she gets by with
wits and rarely deigns to hold a job.
·
There is
little or no plot. The story is told in a series of loosely connected
adventures or episodes.
·
There is
little if any character development in the main character. Once a pícaro,
always a pícaro. His or her circumstances may change but these rarely result in
a change of heart.
·
The behavior
of a picaresque hero or heroine stops just short of criminality. Carefree or immoral rascality positions the picaresque
hero as a sympathetic outsider, untouched by the false rules of society.
In the English-speaking world, the
term "picaresque" is often used loosely to refer to novels that
contain some elements of this genre; e.g. an episodic recounting of adventures
on the road.
EXAMPLES
: Henry Fielding proved his mastery of
the form in Joseph Andrews (1742), The Life and Death
of Jonathan Wild, the Great (1743) and The History of Tom Jones, a
Foundling (1749), though Fielding attributed his style to
an "imitation of the manner of Cervantes,
author of Don Quixote".
William Makepeace Thackeray is
the master of the 19th Century English picaresque. Like Moll Flanders,
Thackeray's best-known work, Vanity Fair A Novel
Without a Hero (1847-1848), (a title ironically derived from John
Bunyan's Puritan allegory of redemption The Pilgrim's Progress(1678)),
follows the career of fortune-hunting adventuress Becky Sharp. His earlier novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844)
recounts the rise and fall of an Irish arriviste conniving his way into the
18th century English aristocracy.
Aleko Konstantinov wrote the
novel Bay Ganyo (1895) about a Bulgarian rogue
of that name who does business and swindles around Europe, and returns home and
gets into politics and newspaper publishing. Bay Ganyo is a well-known
stereotype in Bulgaria.
GOTHIC
NOVEL
Gothic fiction, which is largely
known by the subgenre of Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature
and film that combines fiction and horror, death, and at times romance.
Its origin is attributed to English author Horace
Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled (in its second edition) "A Gothic
Story". The effect of Gothic fiction feeds on a pleasing sort of terror,
an extension of Romantic literary pleasures that were relatively new at the
time of Walpole's novel. It originated in England in the second half of the
18th century where, following Walpole, it was further developed by Clara
Reeve, Ann
Radcliffe, William Thomas Beckford and Matthew Lewis. The genre had much success in the 19th century, as
witnessed in prose by Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein and the works of Edgar
Allan Poe as well as Charles
Dickens with his novella, A
Christmas Carol, and in
poetry in the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord
Byron. Another well known novel in this
genre, dating from the late Victorian
era, is Bram
Stoker's Dracula. The name Gothic, which originally referred to
the Goths, and then came to mean "German",[1] refers
to the medieval Gothic architecture, in which many of these stories take place. This extreme
form of Romanticism was
very popular throughout Europe, especially among English- and German-language
writers and artists. The English Gothic novel also led to new novel types such
as the German Schauerroman and the French Roman Noir.
The novel usually regarded as the
first Gothic novel is The Castle of Otranto by English author Horace
Walpole, which was first published in
1764. Walpole's declared aim was to combine elements of the medieval
romance, which he deemed too fanciful, and the modern novel, which he
considered to be too confined to strict realism.[3] The basic plot created many other staple Gothic
generic traits, including threatening mysteries and ancestral curses, as well
as countless trappings such as hidden passages and oft-fainting heroines.
Walpole published the first edition
disguised as a medieval romance from Italy discovered and republished by a
fictitious translator. When Walpole admitted to his authorship in the second
edition, its originally favourable reception by literary reviewers changed into
rejection. The reviewers' rejection reflected a larger cultural bias: the romance was usually held in contempt by the educated as a
tawdry and debased kind of writing; the genre had gained some respectability
only through the works of Samuel
Richardson and Henry
Fielding.[4] A romance with superstitious elements, and moreover
void of didactical intention, was considered a setback and not acceptable.
Walpole's forgery, together with the blend of history and fiction, contravened
the principles of the Enlightenment and associated the Gothic novel with fake
documentation.
HISTORICAL NOVEL
Historical
fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past.
Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for the historical novel,
it can also be applied to other types of narrative, including theatre, opera, cinema and television,
as well as video games and graphic
novels.
An
essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays
attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the period
depicted.[1] Authors
also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings,
allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have
responded to their environments. Some subgenres such as alternate
history and historical fantasy insert speculative or ahistorical elements
into a novel.
Works
of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because
of readerly or genre expectations for
accurate period details. This tension between historical authenticity, or historicity,
and fiction frequently
becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics, while scholarly criticism frequently
goes beyond this commentary, investigating the genre for its other thematic and
critical interests.
Historical
fiction as a contemporary Western literary genre has its
foundations in the early-19th-century works of Sir
Walter Scott and his contemporaries in other national literatures such as the
Frenchman Honoré de Balzac, the American James Fenimore Cooper, and a later
Russian, Leo Tolstoy. However, the melding of
"historical" and "fiction" in individual works of
literature has a long tradition in most cultures; both western traditions (as
early as Ancient Greek and Roman literature)
as well as Eastern, in the form of oral and folk traditions (see mythology and folklore),
which produced epics, novels, plays and other fictional
works describing history for contemporary audiences.
Realistic Novel
The Realistic Novel and its Formation
The realistic novel was quite different than what has been seen with earlier literature. The most popular form of literature had always been poetry. The realistic novel changed that. This form of literature used journalistic techniques in order to make the literature something closer to real life with facts and general stereotypes of human nature. The attention to detail was made to just report the facts, not commenting or judging on the scene or character.
The realistic novel was quite different than what has been seen with earlier literature. The most popular form of literature had always been poetry. The realistic novel changed that. This form of literature used journalistic techniques in order to make the literature something closer to real life with facts and general stereotypes of human nature. The attention to detail was made to just report the facts, not commenting or judging on the scene or character.
The novels were about the common man, which also happened
to be the struggles of the lower class. These struggles usually included a
lower class citizen trying to gain upward mobility. Thus, a subgenre called
Social Realism was born. One of the most popular novels of this time is in the
Social Realism genre. In Charles Dickens Great Expectations, the
novel goes through a boy named Pip’s life, as he unexpectedly comes into money
and is asked to become a gentleman. The novel follows Pip’s struggles, and
focuses on telling the whole truth about the character, both his good and bad
actions and the reasons behind them. He was meant to be a very tangible person,
one that the average person of this time could relate to. Pip was written to be
very “real”, with all his flaws and positive attributes.
The
Rise of the Novel
Prior to the Victorian Era, poetry had been the dominant form of literature. However, changes in class structure saw the novel rise in popularity. As the middle class expanded and more people became literate, the popularity of the novel exploded. These works also became more accessible as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of newspapers and the periodical press. Most notably, the works of Charles Dickens were frequently serialized in newspapers or journals, his first being Pickwick Papers in 1836. As a result of this serialization and a focus on character rather than plot, Dickens’ works are sometimes criticized for having weak plots. The subject matter of realistic Victorian novels also helped increase their popularity. Dickens particularly would portray the lives of working class people, creating characters that the new rising middle class audience could relate to. The realistic Victorian novel focused on characters and themes such as the plight of the poor and social mobility that was being afforded to a new middle class and the rising middle class were eager to consume these novels.
Prior to the Victorian Era, poetry had been the dominant form of literature. However, changes in class structure saw the novel rise in popularity. As the middle class expanded and more people became literate, the popularity of the novel exploded. These works also became more accessible as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of newspapers and the periodical press. Most notably, the works of Charles Dickens were frequently serialized in newspapers or journals, his first being Pickwick Papers in 1836. As a result of this serialization and a focus on character rather than plot, Dickens’ works are sometimes criticized for having weak plots. The subject matter of realistic Victorian novels also helped increase their popularity. Dickens particularly would portray the lives of working class people, creating characters that the new rising middle class audience could relate to. The realistic Victorian novel focused on characters and themes such as the plight of the poor and social mobility that was being afforded to a new middle class and the rising middle class were eager to consume these novels.
Psychological Novel
Psychological fiction (also psychological realism)
is a literary genre that emphasizes
interior characterization,
as well as the motives,
circumstances, and internal action which is derivative from and creates
external action; not content to state what happens, it rather reveals and
studies the motivation behind the action. Character and
characterization are prominent, often delving deeper into characters'
mentalities than other genres. Psychological novels are known as stories of the
"inner person." Some stories employ stream of
consciousness, interior monologues, and flashbacks to illustrate
characters' mentalities. While these textual techniques are prevalent in literary modernism, there is no
deliberate effort to fragment the prose or compel the reader to interpret the
text.
The
Tale of Genji, written in 11th-century Japan, was considered a
psychological novel by Jorge
Luis Borges.[1] In
the west, the origins of the psychological novel can be traced as far back
as Giovanni Boccaccio's 1344 Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta; that
is before the term psychology was coined.
The
first rise of the psychological novel as a genre is said to have started with
the sentimental novel of which Samuel
Richardson's Pamela is
a prime example.
In
French literature, Stendhal's The Red and the Black and Madame de La Fayette's The Princess of Cleves are
considered early precursors of the psychological novel.[2] The
modern psychological novel originated, according to The Encyclopedia of
the Novel, primarily in the works of Nobel laureate Knut
Hamsun – in particular, Hunger (1890), Mysteries (1892), Pan (1894)
and Victoria (1898).
One of
the greatest writers of the genre was Fyodor Dostoyevsky. His novels deal
strongly with ideas, and characters who embody these ideas, how they play out
in real world circumstances, and the value of them, most notably The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment.
In the
literature of the United States, Henry
James, Patrick McGrath, Arthur
Miller, and Edith
Wharton are considered "major contributor[s] to the
practice of psychological realism."
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Notes prepared from Internet Sources.
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