The Origins of the Novel

Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer traces the emergence of the novel from the rise of individualism and the scientific outlook. The writer begins from the premise that the novel is the embodiment of individual expression, because it requires reader identification. The writer explains that the spirit of individualism gave rise to the practice of science, which eschews all social constructs and aims for direct observation and clear expression. Also noted in the paper is that this was the philosophy of the Royal Society, whose members acquired the habit of keeping diaries. The essay examines carefully how diary keeping eventually gives rise to the novel.

From the Paper:

"Novelist prose is distinguished by realism, informality, and a sense of proximity to the reader. The reader must be able to identify with the protagonist, or the narrator, in order for prose to succeed as a novel. It is indeed the distinctive voice of individualism, and for this reason it is important to track its development in the 17th and 18th centuries. From the Protestant Reformation onwards literature is engaged in the process of creating the individuated self, that which does not rely on the traditional structures of Christian society. Instead of appealing to God and the Church, the new aim for literature is to be heard and appreciated by the common reader. The ultimate aim is for one individual to be understood by another, which is made possible through the novel. The Restoration aided this evolution to a great extent, principally through the advocacy of the scientific method by the Royal Society of London. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barber, Charles. The English Language: A Historical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Bowle, John. John Evelyn and His World: A Biography. London: Routledge, 1981.
• Pepys, Samuel. The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Eds. Robert Latham, William Matthews. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.

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