An Introduction to Different Kinds of Novels and Their Examples

The Historical Novel is a kind of novel where historical themes and matters are used. But we have to remember it is not history. We can say it is the recreation of historical incidents which aims at combining "the dramatic interest of plot and character with a more or less detailed picture of the varied features of the life of a particular age"(Hudson).  History and literature are completely different things. Literature is superior than history. The Historical Novels do a very interesting deed of combining fact and fiction.

 For examples, we can mention the name of the novels like Scott's "Kenilworth", Bulwer Lytton's "The Last Days of Pompeii", Tolstoy's "War and Peace", Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" etc.

   

A picaresque novel is all about a rogue hero who leads a wandering life. It had it's origin in the 16th century Spain, which recounts the life of a knave or a picaro who is the servant of several masters and the author satirizes the society through the experiences which he has gone through. In England, this genre became popular in the 18th century. The purpose of this kind of novel is to mock the society and give entertainment to the readers. 

Examples of this kind of novel are Fielding's "Tom Jones", Smollette's "Roderick Random", Defoe's "Mol Flanders" etc.

We can start with the quotation of Virginia Woolf who once said, "For the moderns,the most important point of interest lies very likely in the dark places of psychology." This kind of novel deals with the mind of the characters. Here character is most important , not the plot. It talks about the inner experience, feelings and thoughts of a particular person. 

Examples of this kind of novel are Samuel Richardson's "The Egoist", George Eliot's "Adam Bede" and "Ramola" etc.

At the end of the 18th century a new kind of novel appears. It deals with the day to day life of common people and the domestic life. Fanny Burney is a kind of pioneer of this kind of novel. 

The most popular domestic novels are Burney's "Evelina", "Cecilia" and "Camelia". 

This kind of novel is completely subjective. Here the author talks about his personal life and thus makes a bonding with his readers. He opens up his heart in this kind of novel. Hudson called it an "imaginary autobiography". These novels are written in first person narrative. 

Some most important autobiographical novels are Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield", Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield" etc.

The other name of Gothic novel is the novel of terror. It takes us to the supernatural world from our natural world. It had it's origin at the end of the 18th century in the hand of Horace Walpole. It has some similarities with the medieval romances. The atmosphere of this kind of novel is gloomy and horror strike.

Most popular Gothic novels are Horace Walpole's "Castle of Otranto", Robert Maturin's "The Fatal Revenge", George Lewis's "The Monk" etc. 

It is a kind of novel which is written in the form of letters. In this kind of novel, there can be many plots and subplots. The plot is here not unfolded in any direct or epic method. In these kinds of novels, the characters express their viewpoints through their letters. That's why, in this kind of novel, we can get more than one opinions about one incident. 

Important epistolary novels are Samuel Richardson's "Pamela" and "Clarissa Harlowe", Goethe's "Sorrows of Werther". 

We can say that it is the improved and more versatile version of the psychological novel. It also deals with the state of mind. Here plot is not that much important, rather the inner conscience of a man gets more importance. 

The important novels are Jane Austen's "Emma", Sterne's "Tristram Shandy", James Joyce's "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" etc.