Dr. Vijayalayan's Literature Notes

  Social novel exemplifies a type of novel in which the plot deals with social affairs that concern the public at large. The 19 th century, specifically the later half when the industrial revolution was at its peak marks the heyday of this novelistic variety in English literature. The novelist Charles Dickens is widely recognized by one and all as the most famous exponent of this genre. His noteworthy works such as Oliver Twist (1838), Nicholas Nickleby (1839), David Copperfield (1850) and Hard Times (1854) are identified as some of the most impressive instances of social novels in English.   1.        The novel primarily focuses on bringing to light social issues or problems with the avowed objective of creating an awareness in the minds of the readers. The ultimate goal in view is of course to compel a redemptive measure towards reformation. In the best social novels however, the social problem or the issue is not self-consciously made prominent but weaved subtly into the na

  Domestic novel denotes a type of novel in which the plot centres on domestic affairs that concern a small group of friends, relatives or acquaintances. Domestic novels represent the first type of novel indeed any form of literary writing in which women truly outshone men. The early years of the 19 th century when the romantic revival movement was at its peak, marks the time during which domestic novels reached the heyday of their popularity. This of course was largely due to the fact that Jane Austen, widely identified to be the greatest domestic novelist in the annals of English literature, lived and wrote her works at the time. Her novels Sense and Sensibility (1811) , Pride and Prejudice (1813) , Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815) are regarded as some of the most celebrated achievements in this genre.   1.        Unlike most varieties of fiction, the protagonist of a domestic novel is invariably a woman, who is essentially portrayed as exemplifying one of two types. The

  1.         Science fiction exemplifies a type of novel in which the central focus of the narrative revolves around a scientific phenomenon such as a new invention, discovery, concept or occurrence. The closing years of the 19 th century is generally recognized as the time when science fiction formally emerged as a genre proper. The British author H. G. Wells is widely identified as the pioneer of science fiction in English literature. Noteworthy works by him that helped establish this genre include The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). At The heart of the narrative in a science fiction is what is known as novum, a machine or invention that disrupts our rote perception of aspects in the real world. Classic instances of novum include the time machine in the novel of that name by H. G. Wells and the ship that travels under water in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea . An important point to note a

       Psychological novel signifies a type of novel in which the plot is centrally preoccupied with delineating the workings of the psyche of the characters that make up the plot. Developed in the early years of the 20 th century, the novelists Dorothy Richardson and James Joyce are widely identified as bringing this variety of fiction into vogue. Notable works in this genre include Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927) by Virginia Woolf and Ulysses (1922) by James Joyce.   1.        For the proponents of psychological novels, the most pristine form of reality is not what one observes externally, but the impulses that animate the conscious mind of an individual. Consequently, their plots rather than focusing on depicting events or incidents that take place in the material world, concentrate on foregrounding the various contents of the psyche of the characters involved. This is to say, it is not what the characters do, their actions, but their mental processes that