Maharashtra Board Class 12 English Chapter 4.1 History of Novel Textbook PDF Download

History Of Novel

The eighteenth century has given English literature two entirely new forms. One was 'The Periodical Essay' and the other was 'Novel'. Both forms caught the spirit of the eighteenth century. They tried to teach readers and help them live better lives. Since its birth, the novel has become very popular. Today, it is the most important type of story.

A novel is a long story told in simple prose. It tells about real human feelings and experiences. The word 'novel' comes from an Italian word 'novella', meaning 'new'. A novel tells a story with many details about time, place, nature, and people. It shows us the life of that time. Novels help us understand life better than drama and poetry do. Modern novels use simple prose language.

The novel as a literary form has a history of about two thousand years. Greek Romances from the second to sixth century were early examples of novels. These stories about love and adventure affected writing for the next thousand years. Some early threads of novels can be found in Virgil's Ecologues, Malory's 'Morte De Arthur', and Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales'.

Murasaki Shikibu's 'Tale of Genji' (1010) is called the world's first novel. The European novel is often said to start with 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes. This book was published in two parts between 1605 and 1615. In the 18th century, newspapers and magazines brought many middle class readers. These new readers did not like old romances and tragedies. They wanted new stories about their own ideas. The 18th century literature showed real life, not fancy ideas. After 1740, the novel became a real literary form in England.

Trade and machines grew. The Industrial Revolution helped create a new middle class. These educated people liked novels about everyday life. They saw novels as good reading. Thus, the novel was made to show the hopes and dreams of middle and lower class people. Machines gave educated people time to read and talk about books. Drama and poetry were fading away. The novel combined features from both. It became the main form in the eighteenth century and after. It could show all social, political, and cultural happenings.

Teacher's Note

The novel came from the needs of ordinary people like your parents and grandparents in the 18th century. It helped them see their own life stories in books. Even today, novels are the most popular type of story in India.

Exam Trick

Remember: Novel = New stories for new people. In 1740, novels started in England for middle class readers. Keep this date in mind for exams.

Points to Remember

A novel is a long prose story about real human feelings.
The word 'novel' comes from Italian word meaning 'new'.
Novels show time, place, nature, and people in detail.
The European novel started with 'Don Quixote' in 1605.
The novel became popular in England after 1740 for middle class readers.

'The Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan (1678) and 'Oroonoku' by Aphra Behn (1688) started the great tradition of English novels. Daniel Defoe wrote 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Mall Flanders'. Jonathan Swift wrote 'Gulliver's Travels', a famous funny book. Other important 18th century writers were Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Lawrence Sterne, and Tobias Smollett. Later, famous writers like Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, Thomas Hardy, and H.G. Wells wrote great novels. The 20th century brought modern ideas and new writing styles. Writers like E.M. Forster, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, George Orwell, Graham Greene, and D.H. Lawrence wrote about political, social, and psychological problems. Salman Rushdie from India, V.S. Naipaul from Trinidad, and Kazuo Ishigura from Japan are immigrant writers.

Women writers also gave great gifts to the novel. Frances Burney wrote 'Evelina'. Ann Radcliffe wrote Gothic novels. Mary Shelley wrote 'Frankenstein' based on science. Jane Austen's novels are still loved by many people. The Bronte sisters Emily and Charlotte wrote 'The Wuthering Heights' and 'Jane Eyre'. Mary Ann Evans, who wrote as George Eliot, showed deep thinking in her novels. Virginia Woolf created the 'Stream of Consciousness' technique. Agatha Christie wrote mystery novels with detectives like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Harper Lee, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker made the novel even greater.

Teacher's Note

You may have read 'Jane Eyre' or watched it on TV. Charlotte Bronte showed strong women in her novels, which was new at that time in England. Even today, we love reading about such strong characters.

Exam Trick

Remember famous women writers: Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie = Mystery. Remember this for your exam.

Points to Remember

Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift were early important novelists.
Charles Dickens and Walter Scott were great 19th century writers.
Women writers like Jane Austen gave the novel new life.
The Bronte sisters wrote about strong feelings and brave women.
Agatha Christie made detective novels very popular.

Indian Scenario

'Rajmohan's Wife' by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya was the first English novel by an Indian. It appeared in 'The Indian Field' newspaper. After this, more Indian writers wrote novels. These novels showed either national pride or social problems. Mulkraj Anand, R.K. Narayan, and Raja Rao were the three main Indian writers. Later, Anita Desai, Nayantara Sahgal, Arun Joshi, and Manohar Malgaonkar changed Indian English novels. Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth, and Upamanyu Chatterjee added new ideas to Indian novels. Recently, Salman Rushdie, Arvind Adiga, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, and Kiran Nagarkar have done great work. The tradition of Indian English novels has changed a lot and has a bright future.

Teacher's Note

Arundhati Roy won an important prize for 'The God of Small Things'. She is from Kerala, India. Her novel is taught in many Indian schools. You can read it to understand modern Indian novels.

Exam Trick

Remember: First Indian novel in English = 'Rajmohan's Wife' by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Write this name carefully in exams with correct spelling.

Points to Remember

First Indian English novel was 'Rajmohan's Wife' by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya.
Mulkraj Anand, R.K. Narayan, and Raja Rao were the three main Indian novelists.
Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai are modern Indian novelists who won prizes.
Indian novels show national pride and social problems.
Indian English novels have a bright and growing future.

Novella

A Novella is a word from Italian 'novelle'. It is a type of prose story that is shorter than a full novel but longer than a short story. It is a well-written short narrative. It is often funny or realistic in style. It usually focuses on one incident or problem with one or two main characters. It takes place at a single location or tradition. Some famous novellas in English are:

'The Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad

'The Turn of the Screw' by Henry James

'Billy Budd' by Hermann Melville

'Death in Venice' by Thomas Mann

'Seize The Day' by Saul Bellow

'Pearl' by John Steinbeck

Teacher's Note

A novella is like a medium-sized story. 'The Heart of Darkness' is a novella that many Indian schools teach. It is shorter than a full novel but has deep meaning like novels do.

Exam Trick

Remember: Novella = Between short story and novel in length. It has one main idea and one or two main characters. Think of it as a 'medium story'.

Points to Remember

A novella is shorter than a novel but longer than a short story.
It usually has one incident or problem as the main story.
It has one or two main characters only.
It takes place at one location or in one tradition.
'The Heart of Darkness' is a famous novella example.

Elements Of Novel Or Novella

There are six important elements in a novel or novella. All these elements work together in the story.

Theme

Theme is the main idea of a novel. It can be said in one or two sentences. It is a deep truth or lesson that the writer shows through the story. The characters and events help explain the theme.

Plot

Plot is the story itself or the events that happen. It is created by conflict. Conflict can be inside a character's mind (internal) or between characters or other forces (external). A plot can be simple with one main story. It can be complex with many smaller stories mixed together.

Character

Characterization is how characters act in the plot. Characters cause events to happen through their behavior.

A character can be described in a small way or in a very detailed way. Important characters are described carefully in every way by the writer. Minor characters do not get much description. The reader follows one main character throughout the novel. This character is called the 'protagonist' or main character. The protagonist fights with another character or force. This other character or force is called the 'antagonist'.

Teacher's Note

In 'Harry Potter', Harry is the protagonist and Voldemort is the antagonist. Every story has a hero and someone or something against the hero. Remember this simple idea.

Exam Trick

Remember: Protagonist = Hero (PRO = for). Antagonist = Against the hero. Pro = Good guy. Against = Bad guy.

Points to Remember

Protagonist is the main character in the story.
Antagonist is the character or force against the protagonist.
Important characters are described in great detail.
Minor characters are not described much.
Characters cause the plot to happen through their actions.

Setting

Setting is the background where the story takes place.

Setting has several parts. It includes the place, the time period, the time of day, the weather, and how people live. The plot and characters are greatly affected by the setting.

Conflict

Conflict is the struggle between opposite forces in the story. Conflict makes the reader interested and curious about what will happen next in the plot.

Language Or Style

Language and style are the techniques the writer uses to tell the story. Some writers use many difficult words and high language. Some writers use simple and short sentences. Some writers mix both. Writers use special language tricks to make the story interesting. All these choices decide how the story feels and how readers react to it.

Teacher's Note

Think about how your teacher teaches. Some teachers use simple words, some use difficult words. But all teachers want you to understand. Writers do the same with their novels. They choose style that helps their story.

Exam Trick

Remember the six elements: Theme, Plot, Character, Setting, Conflict, Language. Think of these as TPCCSL. Make this a memory trick for exams.

Points to Remember

Theme is the main lesson or truth of the novel.
Plot is what happens in the story.
Setting is when and where the story takes place.
Character is who the story is about.
Conflict makes the story interesting and exciting.

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