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 ...

  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...

  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 i...

       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 characte...

  Picaresque novel denotes a type of novel that relates the adventures of a picaro, which is Spanish for ‘rogue’ or ‘rascal’. Originally emanating in Spain during the 16 th century, it made its entry into English literature famously in the Elizabethan prose romance The Unfortunate Traveler or The Life of Jack Wilton by Thomas Nashe published in 1594. It is however noteworthy that not until the 18 th century that picaresque novels proper started appearing in England. The novelist Tobias Smollett could be identified as by far the most successful exponent of this type of fiction. His works such as The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748), The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1750), The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom (1753), and The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771) are some noteworthy instances of picaresque novels that helped establish the genre in English literature.   1.        The hero of a picaresque novel is not someone who ...

       Historical novel is a type of novel in which an imaginary narrative is set against the background of a historical event or incident. Jane porter is generally attributed the credit of originally developing this genre in England, though the novelist Walter Scott is widely considered as its greatest exponent. Some of his works that helped establish this novelistic variety include Waverley (1814), Guy Mannering (1815), Rob Roy (1817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), Ivanhoe (1820), Kenilworth (1821), and The Talisman (1825).   1.        Historical novel is basically a creative work of art in which the fundamental objective of the author is to relate a narrative that captures the imagination of the reader. Historical accuracy therefore is not an imperative that a historical novelist needs to be too concerned about. In fact, authors of historical novels often take liberties with historical accounts and details in portray...

       A gothic novel epitomizes a type of novel that is specifically written with the objective of inducing awe in the reader, much like the spectacle of a classic gothic construction tends to do so in the mind of an onlooker. Originally emanating in Germany, gothic novels made their foray into English literature in 1764 with the publication of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto , the first English gothic novel proper. Other noteworthy instances of this novelistic form include Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794), The Monk (1796) by Matthew Lewis, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).   1.        Gothic novels are invariably set in antiquated spaces such as old castles, manor houses or monasteries, which are typically dilapidated and situated in out of the way places like wilderness or mountain range. They are characteristically filled with several hidden chambers, underground passages and corridors, which impart ...

NATURE: Unlike drama which is a performative art meant to be acted out, novel exemplifies a narrative art that is specifically written with the view to be read. As such, there are three characteristics that define its essential nature. Firstly, it recounts a narrative that is fundamentally imaginative in character. Even if the narrative is derived from real life incidents, it ought to be presented as a figment of the author’s imagination. Secondly, the imaginary narrative that the novel relates is to be done through the medium of prose. This is basically the aspect that differentiates a novel from that of an epic or a ballad, both of which also relate a narrative but in poetry. Thirdly, the length of the novelistic narrative is required to be of a certain word limit, the generally stipulated norm being 50,000 or more. This final aspect though may seem arbitrary is indeed vital in that it is how a novel is normally discriminated from other forms of prose narratives such as short storie...

Antisentimental comedy denotes a comic subgenre that became popular during the second half of the 18 th century. Oliver Goldsmith is invariably identified as the playwright who pioneered this form of comedy, and his She Stoops to Conquer (1773) is frequently cited as the play that brought antisentimental comedies into vogue on the English stage. The credit of having developed this variety of drama into a subgenre proper is however more rightfully due to the playwright Richard Sheridan and his three plays, The Rivals (1775), The School for Scandal (1777) and The Critic (1779) . As the very term posits, antisentimental comedies were basically conceived in conscious reaction to the sentimental comedies that remained in demand for much of the first half of the 18 th century. The basic point of contention for Goldsmith and the other antisentimental proponents was simply that the latter by replacing humour with pathos, and designating the expressed purpose of comedy to be the cultivati...

      Comedy of humours represents a type of comic play brought into fashion in the 16 th century by the dramatist Ben Jonson. His play E veryman in his Humour first performed in 1598 is generally regarded as inaugurating the vogue for humour comedies on the English stage. Regarded as by far its greatest exponent, Jonson’s other important plays that served to establish the subgenre include Everyman Out of his Humour (1599), Volpone or The Fox (1606), Epicoene or The Silent Woman (1609), The Alchemist (1610) and Bartholomew Fair (1614). Beside Jonson, the playwright George Chapman is generally identified as a noteworthy exponent of this form of comedy. In fact, his play A Humorous Days Mirth (1597) is perhaps the first humour comedy to be produced, from which it is surmised Jonson derived his formula for Everyman in his Humour . Some other notable humour comedies by Chapman are All Fools (1609) and The Gentleman Usher (1610). In dealing with the comedy of ...

      Sentimental comedy represents a comic subgenre that emerged to prominence in England during the closing years of the 17 th century. The playwright cum actor Colley Cibber’s work Love’s Last Shift (1696) is widely regarded as heralding the vogue for this type of comedy on the English stage. The Careless Husband (1704) also by Cibber and Richard Steele’s The Lying Lover (1703) and The Conscious Lovers (1722) represent noteworthy instances of sentimental comedy that serve to establish the cannon in the drama of England.     In tackling sentimental comedy, there are specifically two factors that we require to take into advisement. The first is exemplified by the moral reform movements of the 1690s, which came down heavily on English plays particularly the comedy of manners. The most notable instance of such an attack is arguably the pamphlet A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage (1698) by the clergyman Jeremy Collier....

  Variously called restoration comedy, artificial comedy and sex comedy, comedy of manners represents a comic subgenre that rose to eminence during the restoration age in England. Arguably the most famous dramatic variety at the time, it remained in vogue throughout the period, achieving peak popularity during two distinct phases. The first of this that occurred during the 1670s is dominated by the works of two playwrights namely William Wycherley, whose important plays are The Gentleman Dancing Master (1672), The Country Wife (1674/75), and The Plain Dealer (1676), and George Ethrege whose most notable drama is The Man of Mode or Sir Fopling Flutter (1676). The second phase of popularity that comedy of manners experienced happened in the 1690s when it supposedly reached its utmost refinement in the plays of its most celebrated exponent William Congreve, whose important works include The Old Batchlor (1693), The Double Dealer (1694), and The Way of the World (1700). ...

      She-tragedy denotes a tragic subgenre that rose to prominence in England in the mid-1690s. The playwright and laureate Nicholas Rowe who coined the term in 1714 is widely regarded as its finest exponent. His plays The Fair Penitent (1703) and The Tragedy of Jane Shore (1714) are considered as some of the best representative pieces in the cannon. Other noteworthy instances include Thomas Southerne’s The Fatal Marriage or The Innocent Adultery (1694) and Mary Pix’s Ibrahim, the Thirteenth Emperor of the Turks (1696). Though she-tragedy formally sufficed as a distinct dramatic form only by the close of the 18 th century, its antecedence could be traced back to the early 1680s and the so called pathetic plays that enjoyed brief popularity at the time. Of noteworthy significance in this regard are the plays The Orphan (1680) by Thomas Otway and Virtue Betray or Anna Bullen (1682) by John Banks, both of which are invariably recognized as forerunners of she-traged...