A novel is a long and usually fictional narrative, more often than not in the form of a sequential story – although there are many exceptions to this rule. Novels are descended from the medieval romances (the Germans and the French call a novel a “roman” and the Italians a 'romanzo') but, rather than describing fantastical events they (usually!) depict a more realistic and everyday set of characters and scenarios. What distinguishes a novel from any other type of book? There are a few criteria any publication needs before it can be considered a novel. First, a novel is a work of fiction.... Show more A novel is a long and usually fictional narrative, more often than not in the form of a sequential story – although there are many exceptions to this rule. Novels are descended from the medieval romances (the Germans and the French call a novel a “roman” and the Italians a 'romanzo') but, rather than describing fantastical events they (usually!) depict a more realistic and everyday set of characters and scenarios. What distinguishes a novel from any other type of book? There are a few criteria any publication needs before it can be considered a novel. First, a novel is a work of fiction. That does not mean, however, that it cannot be embellished by a sprinkling of fact. Historical novels are a good case in point. They can help us to understand what life was like in the past in a way not possible in textbooks. The same is true of works written long ago – no author can teach us so much about Victorian life than the great Victorian writer Charles Dickens. Second, one feature that the novel has, which was absent in its predecessor the romance, is intimacy. Before the novel entered the scene tales were epic in scale and their protagonists were heroes in the true sense of the word! Novels, with their more down-to-earth style, had more relevance to their audience. Heroes had their own thoughts and anxieties which the reader was privy to for the first time and relationships grew between protagonists and readers which was private and personal. Third, one thing which marks a novel out from other types of fiction is its length. When novels were first written they were shorter than the epic romances but nowadays even epics, such as War and Peace or The Lord of the Rings are considered novels. Generally a novel has 40,000 or more words – less than that and it is not a novel but a novella. Novellas have less conflicts than a novel. They also usually have no chapters as they are meant to be read at a single sitting. Show less
A novel is a long and usually fictional narrative, more often than not in the form of a sequential story – although there are many exceptions to this rule. Novels are descended from the medieval romances (the Germans and the French call a novel a “roman” and the Italians a 'romanzo') but, rather than describing fantastical events they (usually!) depict a more realistic and everyday set of characters and scenarios.
What distinguishes a novel from any other type of book? There are a few criteria any publication needs before it can be considered a novel.
First, a novel is a work of fiction. That does not mean, however, that it cannot be embellished by a sprinkling of fact. Historical novels are a good case in point. They can help us to understand what life was like in the past in a way not possible in textbooks. The same is true of works written long ago – no author can teach us so much about Victorian life than the great Victorian writer Charles Dickens.
Second, one feature that the novel has, which was absent in its predecessor the romance, is intimacy. Before the novel entered the scene tales were epic in scale and their protagonists were heroes in the true sense of the word! Novels, with their more down-to-earth style, had more relevance to their audience. Heroes had their own thoughts and anxieties which the reader was privy to for the first time and relationships grew between protagonists and readers which was private and personal.
Third, one thing which marks a novel out from other types of fiction is its length. When novels were first written they were shorter than the epic romances but nowadays even epics, such as War and Peace or The Lord of the Rings are considered novels. Generally a novel has 40,000 or more words – less than that and it is not a novel but a novella. Novellas have less conflicts than a novel. They also usually have no chapters as they are meant to be read at a single sitting.
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