History of the Novel
A “novel” is in actuality a very specific and fairly recent form of literature. While it is wide spread in the world today and the immediate image that comes to mind when “books” and “stories” are thought of, it is important to realize this was not always the case and that the “novel” is a specifically defined category of story.
Novels are more than just the books they are printed on. A novel falls under a certain kind of literary structure and focus. The novel has a focus on long form story telling based on characters, rather than the earlier focus on themes or plot. Furthermore, the conception of a sense of “realism,” no matter how much it does or does not conform to the reader’s idea of reality, formed the basis for its tone that differed from the literature that came before. In Europe, this focus on characters, the human condition, and realism extended out of Elizabethan prose fiction, French heroic romance, and Spanish picaresque tales, all of which had a focus on a central character. (1.)
Novels are more than just the books they are printed on. A novel falls under a certain kind of literary structure and focus. The novel has a focus on long form story telling based on characters, rather than the earlier focus on themes or plot. Furthermore, the conception of a sense of “realism,” no matter how much it does or does not conform to the reader’s idea of reality, formed the basis for its tone that differed from the literature that came before. In Europe, this focus on characters, the human condition, and realism extended out of Elizabethan prose fiction, French heroic romance, and Spanish picaresque tales, all of which had a focus on a central character. (1.)
First Novels
- Daniel Defoe
The novel as it is currently conceived first appeared in 18th century Europe. The rise of a middle class and the larger literacy rate this rise brought created a larger demand and audience. There were now more people ready and able to read and pay for works of literature. The earliest novels drew upon the morality of this emergent class. Later, the advent of monthly installments that formed a larger work allowed those without as much means to afford them, expanding the reading audience further. The novel continued to be informed by the society and culture around it in its subject matter and characters.
Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe), Samuel Richardson (Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded), and Henry Fielding (Joseph Andrews) were among the first pioneers of the genre, but Fielding was the first to try and establish the novel as a literary structure without reservation. (1.)
Note: Literature itself has arisen in every society with a written language, going back far before 18th century Europe, with many resembling the Western definition of a novel. This history is primarily concerned with its evolution in Europe and the Middle East due to their cross pollination of ideas and culture.
Daniel Defoe (Robinson Crusoe), Samuel Richardson (Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded), and Henry Fielding (Joseph Andrews) were among the first pioneers of the genre, but Fielding was the first to try and establish the novel as a literary structure without reservation. (1.)
Note: Literature itself has arisen in every society with a written language, going back far before 18th century Europe, with many resembling the Western definition of a novel. This history is primarily concerned with its evolution in Europe and the Middle East due to their cross pollination of ideas and culture.
In the Middle East
- Scheherazade, from the Arabian Nights
It is hard to pin down the exact entrance of “novels” as a literary structure in the middle east. Historically, the study of Arabic novels goes back to the 19th century writers. There was already a literary history and history of stories in the region well before then. Oral traditions of storytelling existed prior to the establishment of literature, with the Arabian Nights being the classic example of an oral story that has survived in to the present day. Literature itself existed as far back as the 12th century with the Mamlūks. It can be difficult the precisely define “novels” in this context without imposing a western standard of literary evolution on the history. Indeed, Roger Allen, a scholar of Middle Eastern literature, points out there has been a tendency to view the development modern novels of the region through the lens of how novels evolved in Europe rather than examining the trends and influences specific to the history of the region. (2.)
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(Header Image) Books on desk. Image from: http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/general/no-penalty-for-returning-overdue-library-books-during-library-week/
Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), in the style of Sir Godfrey Kneller. Image from: http://www.rmg.co.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.309
"Scheherazade Went on with Her Story". Illustration from "Arabian Nights" by Virginia Frances Sterret (1900-1931). Penn Publishing Company (1928). Image from: http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/share/
(1.) - Taormina A., The History of the Novel, "Origins"
(2.) - Allen R., Rewriting Literary History: The Case of the Arabic Novel
(Header Image) Books on desk. Image from: http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/general/no-penalty-for-returning-overdue-library-books-during-library-week/
Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), in the style of Sir Godfrey Kneller. Image from: http://www.rmg.co.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.309
"Scheherazade Went on with Her Story". Illustration from "Arabian Nights" by Virginia Frances Sterret (1900-1931). Penn Publishing Company (1928). Image from: http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/blog/share/
(1.) - Taormina A., The History of the Novel, "Origins"
(2.) - Allen R., Rewriting Literary History: The Case of the Arabic Novel