The English Novel Dr Sami S. Breem 2 nd Semester 2012

Definition 1)Definition of the novel The oxford English Dictionary defines the novel: ‘ a fictitious prose narrative or tale of considerable length (now usually on e long enough to fill one or more volumes) in which characters and actions representative of the real life of past or present times are portrayed in a plot of more or less complexity.’

Why study the Novel?  Language model  Cultural model  Personal growth model

History of the novel The 18 th Century (The Rise of the novel)  Different reasons for the emergence of the Novel  Rise of literacy  Printing  Market economy  Secularism  individualism

Classification of novels Classification of novels:  Romantic  realistic Other types may include:  Social novels, domestic novels, historical novels  Political novels, satirical novels, autobiographical novels, biographical novels

Types of novels (continued)  Picaresque novel, epistolary novel, regional novel  Science fiction, gothic novel, Fable, allegorical novel Novels Can fit in more than one category/type

Narrative features in the novel  Plot/events/actions  Characterization  Themes  Setting  Structure  Symbolism  Intertextuality  Speech and thought presentation  Dialogue  Figurative language  point of view

Linguistic indicators  Definite/indefinite references  Deixis  Schema language  Anaphoric/ cataphoric references  Social deixis Any word can be deictic if the reader attaches meaning to it