What is a novel? Only in a novel are all things given full play – D. H. Lawrence
A novel is a long narrative in literary prose. Novels tell stories, which are typically defined as a series of events described in a sequence. The novel has been a part of human culture for over a thousand years, although its origins are somewhat debated. Regardless of how it began, the novel has risen to prominence and remained one of the most popular and treasured examples of human culture and writing.
There have been stories and tales for thousands of years, but novels must combine a few unique characteristics in order to be defined as such. First, a novel is written down, rather than told through an oral account. Secondly, novels are meant to be fictional in form, differentiating them from myths, which are said to have their basis in reality or theology. Although some modern scholars argue differently, there is no truly established guideline for length, point-of-view, or even establishment of a moral or philosophical point in novels.
Sources : http://www.wisegeek.com Date accessed : 5th July 2010
: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novel Date accessed : 5th July 2010
The elements of a novel include the following:
i. Plot - the structure of a novel. It shows the arrangement of events and actions within a story (please refer to notes on Freytag‟s Pyramid below for details).
ii. Setting - the time, place, physical details, and circumstances in which a situation occurs. Setting enables the reader to better envision how a story unfolds by relating necessary physical details of a piece of literature. iii. Theme - is the main idea, or message, of an essay, paragraph, or a book. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character, setting, and style, theme is considered one of the fundamental components of fiction. It is the universal statement or feel when you read a piece of writing. iv. Character and characterisation - a character is a person in a narrative who may represent a particular class of group of people. Characters in a novel a the vehicle by which author conveys to us his / her view of the world. Characters maybe classify either main character or minor character. The characterisation of a character is revealed by actions, speech, thoughts, physical appearance, and the other characters‟ thoughts or words.
v. Language - used by author to reveal the theme and purpose of the novel.
