NOVEL

 BASICS OF NOVEL

 

    Definition:

A novel may be defined as a fiction in prose of 50,000 words or more. There are thus three aspects by which we could define a novel. Firstly it relates a fiction that is an imaginary narrative. Secondly, it is composed in the medium of prose, which is akin to practical speech. Thirdly, its minimum length is 50,000 words. The last of these aspects is critical for it is what that differentiates a novel from other similar forms of narrative works such as short story or novella. All these other narrative works essentially represent a fiction in prose. However they cannot be regarded as a novel as their length is relatively short.

 

    Constituent Elements:

There are basically four elements that constitute a novel. These are plot, character, point of view and milieu. We could perhaps call these four elements the ingredients that go into the making of a novel.

 

  Plot:

Plot may be explained as the causal arrangement of events. It is generally differentiated from a story which typifies a chronological arrangement of events. Both plot and story are thus essentially arrangement of events. What sets them apart is the logic that underlies the arrangement in each of them. In story the arrangement is done with primary significance attributed to the idea of linearity or chronology. However in a plot the arrangement is done with priority given to the notion of cause and effect. This could be explained also in a different manner. Story is a sequence that answers the question of what happens next, while plot represents a sequence that answers the question of why something happens. Time shifts therefore are not possible in a story. The events follow a strict linear movement as in regular time. In plot however time shifts are possible through the adoption of flashback, as events are organised in keeping with the logic of not linearity but causality. Plots in a novel could take one of two forms. These two types of plots are invariably called organic and episodic. Organic plot is one in which a central idea is gradually evolved from beginning to its culmination at the end. Events in an organic plot are therefore dovetailed to each other as in a chain. Episodic plot however is different in that events in it are not dovetailed to one another. It represents a plot type in which events are rather loosely tied to each other, with each event constituting an independent episode of its own. The connection between these loosely linked episodic events is made possible by the recurrence of the same central character or scenario.

Character:

Character refers to the human agents that act out the various events that constitute the plot. We can therefore dub characterisation as the element that brings plot to life. Typically in a novel we come across two types of characters. The first type is known as round characters. These are characters who represent multifaceted personalities, similar to actual people in real life. The second type of characters are called flat characters. These are characters whose personality is almost entirely defined by a single quality. Round characters are thus three dimensional characters, who are capable of undergoing change in the course of the plot. Flat characters however are one dimensional characters, incapable of undergoing any change whatsoever. For this reason, round characters are also sometimes referred to as dynamic characters, while flat characters are called static or cardboard characters.

  Point of View:

Point of View denotes the standpoint from which the plot is recounted in a novel. Generally there are two types of points of view employed by novelists in relating the plot. These may be called omniscient or third person and autobiographical or first person. The third person point of view is one in which the author narrates the plot from the standpoint of a non-participant in the plot, someone who is privy to the plot’s action but is not technically a part of it. It is also sometimes called the God’s eye view. First person point of view is one in which the plot is related from the standpoint of a character who is directly involved in the action of the plot. The third person and the first person points of view respectively echo the logic of indirect and direct speech in grammar. The third person point of view presents the advantage of surveying a wider range of events in a plot. While the first person presents the advantage of exploring a more in-depth range of emotions in a plot.

 

   Milieu:

Milieu refers to the overall context of the plot. This includes aspects such as the manners, customs, traditions and mind-sets that inform the lives of the characters in a novel. Milieu represents a broader framework than setting, which merely refers to the physical background of the plot. Milieu falls into two types, social and material. Social milieu is one in which the milieu holds an indispensable social significance in the plot. It is in other words as vital or important to the plot as the characters themselves. Material milieu is one in which the milieu merely serves the function of representing a physical or material backdrop to the plot. This is to say, a material milieu simply performs the purpose of a setting in a novel.

 

TYPES OF NOVEL

1. Historical Novel

 Definition

A type of novel in which an imaginary narrative is set against the backdrop of an actual historical event or incident.

Features

(i) A historical novel is fundamentally a creative work. Thus the imaginary plot in it takes precedence. The historical event merely serves the function of a context or background against which the imaginary plot will be set.

(ii) There are two types of characters in a historical novel. These are imaginary characters who are a product of the author’s ingenuity and historical characters who are derived from actual history. Of the two, the imaginary are given primary significance. They are attributed all the major roles, while historical characters are invariably bestowed minor importance in the plot.

(iii) The choice of the historical event is of vital importance in a historical novel. It must be done with two criteria in mind. On the one hand, the historical event must be a popular one that the readers would be readily able to identify. On the second, it must be an exciting one so that the readers are immediately hooked.

(iv) The main purpose of a historical novel is to relate an interesting narrative not teach history. Hence historical novelists often take liberties with depicting relatively unknown or insignificant historical details in the plot. However they take care to follow accurately the main course of history.

Examples

The novelist Walter Scott is the greatest exponent of historical novels in English literature. Some of his most popular historical fictions include Ivan Hoe, Talisman, Kenilworth, and The Heart of Midlothian.

2. Gothic Novel

Definition

A type of novel that seeks to invoke a feeling of fear in the mind of the reader, much in the same way the nightly spectacle of a gothic architecture inspires in the mind of the onlooker.

Features

(i) The plots of gothic novels are invariably set in gothic spaces which are typically old and ruined. These may vary from ancient gothic castles to modern structures such as an apartment building or a villa.

(ii) The plots of gothic novels are filled with many mysteries and suspense. These however are not logical puzzles as the ones found in detective novels. They are rather primitive in kind such as those evoked by ancient curses or jinxes.

(iii) Appearance of supernatural phenomena such as ghosts and vampires are common in gothic plots. Very often, these phenomena tend to be the central focus on which the entire plot revolves.

(iv) Gothic novels successfully evoke fear in the mind of the readers by employing two elements. These are terror and horror. Terror is the anticipation that something dreadful is about to take place. Horror is the actual realisation or manifestation of the thing being dreaded.

Examples

Gothic novels could be classified into two categories, classical and modern. Examples of classic gothic novels include The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and The Monk by Matthew Lewis. Other examples include Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Instances of modern gothic novels include The Shining by Stephen King and Hell House by Richard Matheson.

3. Picaresque Novel

Definition

 A type of novel that relates the misadventures of a Picaro which is Spanish for rogue.

Features

(i) There are three characteristic qualities which define the personality of the hero, or perhaps more accurately the antihero of a picaresque novel. He is a man of no scruples, he is a quick thinking man who practically lives on his wits, and he is a man who is utterly selfish.

(ii) The plot of a picaresque novel will be typically episodic. This is because the picaro who is the central character often keeps moving from one place to another. The picaro cannot afford to stay in one place permanently as it puts him under the risk of being found out for who he really is.

(iii) The milieu of a picaresque novel invariably involves such disreputable places as gambling halls, brothel houses and shady inns. This is because as a man of low and dubious birth, the picaro often visits these places to conspire with notorious characters such as pirates, pick pockets and loose women.

(iv) The point of view in a picaresque novel would invariably be autobiographical or first person. The purpose here is to provide an insight into the workings of the picaro’s mind, which is ultimately meant to increase the novel’s appeal for the readers.

Examples

Tobias Smollett is regarded as by far the most successful exponent of picaresque fiction in English literature. Some of his noteworthy works in this regard include The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, and The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker.

 

4. Psychological Novel

Definition

A type of novel in which the plot focuses on portraying the workings of the mind or psyche of the characters

Features

(i) Plot in a psychological novel is preoccupied with depicting the internal reality of what goes on in the mind of the characters, rather than events or incidents that take place in the external world. This is because for the proponents of psychological novel, psychic impressions or feelings supposedly represent a purer form of reality than those perceived objectively.

(ii) In order to represent the psychic impressions of the characters, psychological novelists employ a special narrative method known as stream of consciousness. The term stream of consciousness was coined by the American psychologist William James to conceptualise how thoughts, impulses and feelings exist in a state of flux in the conscious mind of one’s psyche. Taking their cue from this idea of James, psychological novelists seek to represent the impressions of their characters in the plot as fleeting impulses. The goal is to do away with authorial intervention in the portrayal of the characters psyche.

(iii) Events and incidents are practically non-existent in a psychological novel. The plot essentially typifies a fluid framework exemplifying the constantly shifting ideas and emotions of the characters. It is therefore not dialogues but monologue, more specifically, interior monologue that takes precedence in a psychological novel.

(iv) Psychic impressions presented in psychological novels are anything but sequential. They are therefore essentially shown rather than related as free associations of random images. Psychological novelists adopt a special cinematic method to do this called montage.

Examples

The Irish novelist James Joyce is widely regarded as the best exponent of psychological novels. Some of his important works in this regard include Dubliners and Ulysses. In England the novelist Virginia Woolf is considered as the best exponent by far. Her noteworthy psychological novels include  To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway.

5. Science Fiction

Definition

A type of novel in which the plot centres on a scientific phenomenon such as an idea, invention, discovery or occurrence.

Features

(i) The most important aspect of a science fiction’s plot is ‘novum’. Novum is a machine or gadget that disrupts our habitual perception of things. Classic instance is the time machine which disrupts our rote perception of time by positing that it is possible to travel back and forth in time. It is important to remember here that novum will be presented in a science fiction as a product of scientific logic not magic. For instance both the time machine in H. G. Wells’ novel and the time turner in Rowling’s Harry Potter book 3 assist in moving through time. Both disrupt our rote perception of time. However the time machine is presented in the novel as a scientific invention while the time turner is done so as a magical device. This is what that differentiates a science fiction from a fantasy fiction.

(ii) Plots of science fictions will be invariably set in alternative time periods and places. They would be for instance set many years into the future or the past, and in locales such as other planets or a city under water. This is meant to create a sense of estrangement which would render the novel more fascinating and heighten its scientific aura.

(iii) In science fiction plots the scientific idea or concept takes precedence over characters. What characters do, their actions, the fate that befalls them are all relatively insignificant. The idea is all that matters.

(iv) Unlike in other novels, it is not interpersonal relationship between characters that take centre stage in science fiction. It is the relation between humanity and the universe at large that takes priority. What matters in a science fiction are great events such as interplanetary travel, journeying to the earth’s centre, alien invasion etc. and not personal considerations as human intimacy.

Examples

The British author H. G. Wells is regarded as the novelists who founded the genre of science fiction. Some of his noteworthy works in this regard include The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds. Other famous writers of science fiction are the French novelist Jules Verne and the American Isaac Asimov.