Premium Essay

British Novel

In:

Submitted By khush13
Words 774
Pages 4
This essay presents a brief overview of the development of the nineteenth century English novel.
Transition and Transformation:
One could be forgiven for believing that the words ‘fiction’ and ‘novel’ mean one and the same thing. The main reason for this confusion is that both of them have a common denominator; they both tell a story. In the novel, we have the theatre of life and for over two centuries it has been the most effective agent of the moral imagination. Though it has never really achieved perfection in form and its shortcomings are numerable, nevertheless one experiences from it not only the extent of human variety, but also the value of this variety. Fiction existed right from the first time man told a story and thus it is in this respect only, that it is similar to the forerunner of the novel as we know it today, which is any work of fiction in England written before 1670.
Novelists express their conscious conclusions about life as they experience it and these manifest themselves not only in the characters they create and their interaction with each other, but also in the way they make them react or respond to the various situations in which they find themselves and in what they say within these situations. They are relatively free to choose their material, but their conclusions about life and the nature of their novels are dependent on their innate personality, as this affects not only the way in which they present their characters, but also our own understanding and response to their inherent values and behaviour. In this sense, novelists can be seen as mediators between their characters and their audience, as this is the only way through which they can convey to us their attitude towards their characters and the total situation they are rendering.
The Victorian novel reflected the pressing social problems and philosophies of a complex age,

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Evolution of British Novel

...The English novel is an important part of English literature. This article focuses on novels, written in English, by novelists who were born or have spent a significant part of their lives in England, or Scotland, or Wales, or Northern Ireland (or Ireland before 1922)]. However, given the nature of the subject, this guideline has been applied with common sense, and reference is made to novels in other languages or novelists who are not primarily British where appropriate. Portrait of Samuel Richardson by Joseph Highmore.National Portrait Gallery, Westminster, England. Contents [hide] 1 Early novels in English 2 Romantic period 3 Victorian novel 4 20th century 5 Survey 6 Famous novelists (alphabetical order) 7 See also 8 References Early novels in English[edit source | editbeta] See the article First novel in English. The English novel has generally been seen as beginning with Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders (1722),[1] though John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678) and Aphra Behn's Oroonoko (1688) are also contenders, while earlier works such as Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, and even the "Prologue" to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales have been suggested.[2] Another important early novel is Gulliver's Travels (1726, amended 1735), by Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, which is both a satire of human nature, as well as a parody of travellers' tales like Robinson Crusoe.[3] The rise of the novel as an important...

Words: 4017 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Ethical Subjectivism

...Erika Ramalho Ethics Resistance Paper September 29, 2014 Resistance involves the habit of immature defense mechanisms that at times we use because we feel overwhelmed; it keeps us from moving forward. The problem begins when people carry defense mechanisms that were once appropriate into our lives, as we get older. When resistance becomes a routine of ways we react and respond to certain situations, it acts as an obstacle to our worldview. There are many ways we can overcome resistance by acknowledging which ones we use that make it difficult for us to make moral decisions in our lives. The two forms of resistance I have used are distractions and denial. Distractions: We use distractions to block out any thoughts of issues we’re dealing with. There have been many situations where I’ve distracted myself because I was dreading to deal with certain situations. Fall semester of my Junior Year, during midterms I had tons of homework assignments and studying due on the same day. I was completely stressed out and the more I thought of it the less I wanted to do it. Everyday that week I would find different reasons that made me put it off. I would find myself cleaning my room, hanging out my friends, using social media and going to the gym to avoid my responsibilities because it kept my mind off on what I really had to get done. If I just broke my homework down and focused of certain classes each day I wouldn’t be as stressed out as I was till the day before I had my exams...

Words: 703 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Nursing

...English Novel over the centuries- English novel came into existence in the beginning of 18th century with the emergence of new middle class. During this time, public interest in human characters grew and this led to the popularity of autobiographies, biographies, journals, diaries and memoirs. Novelists showed interest in the newly emerged complex middle-class characters who were struggling with their morality and social issues. Tom Jones, a foundling was written by Henry Fielding during this time and focused on the social structure that prevailed in England during that time. The first half of the 19th century was influenced by romanticism and the focus was on nature and imagination. Gothic (horror) and romantic novels were written during this time. Jane Austen wrote highly polished novels about the life of the landed gentry and social issues like marriage and property from women’s perspective. In the period between 1837 to 1901, the Victorian novelists became popular. They portrayed middle-class, virtuous heroes responding to harsh society. Stories of working class poor people were directed to incite sympathy. The development of the middle-class and the manners and expectations of this class, as opposed to the aristocrat forms were the focus of the novelists of this period. Charles Dickens emerged as a literary figure and wrote about London life and struggles of the poor in Oliver Twist. In the early twentieth century, Rudyard Kipling wrote highly versatile novels, short...

Words: 2256 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Similarities Between Frankenstein And Lord Of The Flies

...Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies both have characters with comparable personalities living in similar environments. Both Golding and Shelly use them to present their ideas on human nature, and monster and ‘monstrous’. Comparison: The effect of environment on a person's character is an idea which is examined in both novels. In Lord of the Flies the boys’ inherent evil emerges when society and rules and regulations are withdrawn, whereas in Frankenstein the lack of human society and its nurturing and love is responsible for the evil that the creature does. Golding's idea of humanity is that it is integrally flawed by evil. That every human has evil within them. Golding used the names Ralph and Jack deliberately as they are characters from...

Words: 287 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Uncle Tom's Cabin Essay

...“If the greatness of a novel were based solely upon its popularity and sociological impact, then Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin would undoubtedly be one of the greatest American novels of all time” (Levernier). When it was published, Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold out of its first edition within two days and it generated immediate controversy. This paper works to give insight into Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ideas behind the novel and to explore the reaction by readers in the North, South, and globally. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was born in Litchfield, Connecticut into a prominent family of preachers. Later in life, while living in Cincinnati, Stowe came in contact to actual runaway slaves. Stowe was appalled by the stories she heard...

Words: 1283 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Reading a Novel in 1950-2000

...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...

Words: 123617 - Pages: 495

Premium Essay

British Literature of the 20th Century

...World War 11 The Interwar Years 13 British Postwar Literature 19 Conclusion 27 References 29 Introduction The 20th century seems to be the most dramatic and unique: it witnessed two world wars and great social, economic and political changes. All this events could not but find their reflection in the arts in general and in the literature in particular. The urgency of the work is determined by the complexity of the period considered and variety of forms and trends which appeared during the century. The object of the project is British literature. The aim of the project is to consider the peculiarities and distinct features of the British literature of the 20th century. In order to gain the project’s aim, during its implementation the following practical issues were studied: - the most distinguished writers of the period; - their contribution to development of the British literature; - key topics. The project’s aim and issues considered predetermined the choice of methods of research. During the project’s implementation the following methods were used: critical survey of the sources on the issue considered, as well as comparison and analysis. Theoretical value of the project is constituted by the analysis of the peculiarities and distinct features of the British literature of the 20th century. Practical value of the project is predetermined by the possibility to use it in practice in courses of world and British history and literature. The project’s...

Words: 9384 - Pages: 38

Premium Essay

Kanthapura Analysis

...*About the Novel Raja Rae’s novel Kanthapura (1938) is the first major Indian novel in English. It is text of the Civil Disobedience movement of the 1930s that takes for its central concern the participation of a small village of South India in the national struggle called for by Mahatma Gandhi. Imbued with nationalism, the villagers sacrifice all their material possessions in a triumph of the spirit, showing how in the Gandhian movement people shed their narrow prejudices and united in the common cause of the non-violent civil resistance to the British Raj. Paradoxically, given its concerns, Kanthapura was first published in London in 1938 and was written when Rao was in France: “I wrote Kanthapura in a thirteenth century castle in the French Alps belonging to the Dauphins of France and I slept and worked on the novel in the room of the Queen”. Narrated by Achakka., an old village woman, the plot centres on Kanthapura, a village in South India. This village is a microcosm of the traditional Indian society with its entrenched caste hierarchy. In Kanthapura there are Brahmin quarters, Sudra quarters and Pariah quarters. Despite stratification into castes, however, the villagers are mutually bound in various economic and social functions which maintain social harmony. The enduring quality of the Indian village is represented as ensuring an internal tenacity that resists external crises, its relationship to past contributing a sense of unity and continuity between the present...

Words: 4610 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

One Day Book Report

...BOOK REPORT: - ONE DAY Do you believe in a story, which is spanning for twenty years? In the novel One Day, David Nicholls gives reader a sad/funny love story that is extended for twenty years. David Nicholls is a British author, screenwriter and actor. He has spent his 20s as a professional actor, where he played many roles at various theatres. Throughout his 30s he was seen as a screenwriter. During this period he was also garnered a nomination of Best New Writer (fiction) for a British Academy Television Craft Awards. In 2002 he wrote his first novel, Starter for ten, which was his one of the notable work. In 2005 he published his second novel the understudy and at last in 2009 he published his second notable work one day. This book was published in Great Britain for the first time. It was the biggest- selling British novel of 2010 and has been published in 31 different languages. David Nicholls has been achieving phenomenal success with this book. This bittersweet love story has been made into a film where, Lone Scherfig directed it and Nicholls wrote the screenplay. The movie was released after two years of book publishing i.e. in August 2011. One day is the ultimate feel-good book about love and friendship, fear and love. The structure of this book is very original. Since the whole story is focused on two protagonist, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. They are very different Edinburgh university students. The story begins on July 15, 1988 when Emma and Dexter meet each...

Words: 832 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Japan

...Daimyo… Bushido The Closing of Japan Nobunaga vs. Hideyoshi Matthew Perry Chapter 11: London on September 2, 1666-the great fire destroyed it. Francis Bacon-leading advocate of the empirical method Inductive reasoning Empirical method Rene Descartes Deductive reasoning Deism Johannes Kepler-had made detailed records of the movements of the planets, substantiating Copernicus’s theory that the cosmos was heliocentric (sun-centered), not geocentric (earth-centered) Galileo Galilei-improved the design and magnification of the telescope Geocentric Heliocentric The law of falling bodies (gravity) Pope Urban VIII Giordano Bruno Isaac Newton-computed the law of universal gravitation in a precise mathematical equation, demonstrating that each and every object exerts an attraction to a greater or lesser degree on all other objects The Industrial Revolution Lunar Society-a group of prominent manufactures,inventors,and naturalists met in and around Birmingham each month on the night of the full moon to discuss,chemistry,,medicine,gases,electricity,and every subject that may contribute to the fruitful society. Thomas Hobbes-argued in Leviathan that the people needed to submit to the authority of a ruler to prevent anarchy. The social contract gives up individual sovereignty in exchange for protection from depravity. Absolutism Social contract John Locke-argued that a ruler has limited authority; if the ruler fails to protect the people’s rights, then the people...

Words: 1147 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

King Solomon's Mines : a Colonial Novel

...King Solomon’s Mines, a colonial novel King Solomon’s Mines (1885) was a popular boys’ adventure novel by the Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It was the first English fictional adventure novel set in Africa . It tells of the search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of three adventurers for the missing brother of one of the party. The story is narrated by Allan Quatermain, a kind of big game hunter and adventurer who also leads the expedition. They have a lead/clue that the missing brother is somewhere in the interior of Africa, lost on his own quest for King Solomon's mines, a legendary place. The novel is generally believed to have played a part in the British fancy for Africa, and the ‘scramble for Africa’. It is also considered to be the genesis of the Lost World literary genre, a precursor of science fiction. The major interest of the novel now may be its scholarly value, the colonialist attitudes Haggard expresses, the way he portrays the relationships between the white and African characters. 1. Haggard does portray some Africans in their traditional—from a Victorian perspective—literary posts as barbarians, and constant racist commentary can be detected throughout the novel: the mildest form it takes is the superiority complex of whites over blacks. For instance, when it demonstrates the kind of technological gap that existed between the blacks and the whites, through the exhibition of firepower, referred to as ‘the magic...

Words: 952 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

William Golding Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

...In Lord of the Flies the boys slowly change from being a civilized group of British boys into a savage group of boys that only to hunt and kill pigs for fun and food. Even though Piggy lost his glasses, and the boys had no hygiene at all. Wind, air, and humidity in the Lord of the Flies a novel by William Golding reveals how without rules, humans are savages. The boys were happy and friends, the boys separating, and everyone hunting is revealing Golding’s message. The boys being happy and having fun at the beginning of the story shows the change of how without rules humans are savages. Simon, jack, and Ralph were off to figure out if they were really on an island. They were talking, laughing, and the “air was bright” (25). There were no worries, no beastie, they were still new to the island. Jack was on the hunt for a pig, the first time he ever thought of hunting. Jack heard a “harsh cry” and ran over to find a pig (49). Jack hunting was the first sign of the boys turning into savages. Samneric were keeping the fire going and saw the ‘beastie’, the “darkness was full of claws” and they were terrified (99). It was the moment that there...

Words: 670 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Previous Writing Expeiance

...I always believe “Success comes in cans not can’ts”.The famous British writer says “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” (Virginia Woolf, 1882) her peculiarities as a fiction writer have tended to obscure her central strength: she is arguably the major lyrical novelist in the English language. When I was young, I always knew that I wanted to become a writer someday, I would often write short stories. I have been a consistent academics performer in my school days. As a student I have learned so much stuff. Some of it was easy and some of it was a difficult. Initially I started writing short stories and then later on I started writing seriously and working on improving my skills to write a novel based on a true story. Finally I started writing a novel for which I worked on research paper, organization of a story and concluding in a proper way. One of the hardest things was discovering a story line. As I had a previous experience in writing but my mind running different thoughts and ideas and was unable to decide on which line to go. Gathering information is one of the processes in writing. After discussing with the lecturer I recollected all possible ideas which suits to my research paper. Finally I succeeded to choose the topic that I wanted to write in my novel. My research helped me a lot in developing the story of each line. My next job was to organizing a story. I have always been a...

Words: 271 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Corruption vs. Civilization in Lord of the Flies

...beliefs, the lord of the flies, or in the novel the symbol of the "beast", is not "something you could hunt and kill" (164), but rather a spirit that dwells inside of a soul, and slowly seduces one into complete and utter savagery. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding gives the reader a glimpse into a society composed of a group of young British boys, all raised in a civilized and orderly manner, that find themselves stranded on a deserted island. Fighting for survival, many of the boys surrender to the Beast that engulfs them. Others, like Ralph, find themselves in a much more complex and compromising battle- one that takes place inside the mind. In his novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses the motifs of the pig dance, the conch, and the masks to convey the theme that man becomes a corrupt and savage being without a strict system of order and civilization. By dancing and singing to celebrate the brutal murdering of a pig, the boys enter into a society, or even a cult, surrounded by sadistic and brutal thoughts. The first time the boys perform this ritual, Golding describes their actions as “relieved and excited…making pig-dying noises and shouting” (81). Clearly, the boys feel a rush of exhilaration and excitement when they escape their civilized manner and become a member of this vicious sacrament. These feelings serve only to propel them deeper into this cult, as one can see in their future “pig dances. Later in the novel, Golding describes Ralph’s feelings...

Words: 1254 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

London Fields

...Chris Ivy British Literature 29 Oct 2010 Dueling Londons Setting is a central aspect to all works of literature. The Setting of a piece can be used in various ways to drive a point home, and the novels “London Fields” and “White Teeth” are no exception to this rule. Both of the aforementioned novels use London as their primary setting, but they effectively portray it in two very different lights. “London Fields” paints the picture of London as a dark and ominous place full of sleaze and moral decay, while “White Teeth” contrastingly shows London as a mellow melting-pot of cultural assimilation and struggle. “London Fields” uses its slummy London as a center of corruption, drinking, gambling and murder, which allows it to remain functional and consistent with the characters that inhabit its realm of tragedy and utter chaos. The mere essence of this London embodies the very nature of human suffering, and it serves as an omnipotent cloud of impending doom, smothering everyone in its path with a blanket of immorality. Amis reveals the lower-class side of London with the persistent appearance of bars and pubs throughout the novel. This trashy and dangerous side of town symbolizes the downfall of humanity within the characters that frequent its streets at night; the nastier the London, the nastier the people. A prime example of this is depicted through the maniacal deterioration of Guy Clinch. Guy begins the novel as a trusting, upstanding individual whose kind nature is...

Words: 530 - Pages: 3