What Made the Novel Radical? (Or, Characteristics of a Nascent Genre)

I have compiled a list of your observations about the novel.  Many of you pulled out important characteristics of the novel when it was new, and together as a class I think you have compiled a thorough and insightful list!  We will soon find out how Great Expectations fits into this picture!

comic

humanitarian warmth

psychological and emotional intensity

rebellion against society

doesn’t borrow plot from ancient stories

combined prose, comedy and epic(?)

about ordinary people

interesting to everybody

sheds light on the darker side of humanity

lead people to question their own selves

title (and focus!) is main character

about everyday life

told about the ambitions and dreams of common people

about regular people’s thinking

narration reveals protagonist’s opinions and thoughts

from the 1600s and 1700s, from early-to-mid 18^th c.

middle-class audience

spotlight on an interesting protagonist, their thoughts and feelings with detail and emotion

written in more straight-forward style than poems and plays

can be very touching

covered scandalous topics

adventurous, fictional life

covered everyday people in everyday life

simply life stories

spoke to adults about pursuing their dreams

controversial topics

story revolves around protagonist’s character

taken from someone’s life

realistic

tragedy and humor combined

focus is more on one character

mock-autobiographical

point-of-view of the protagonist

very detailed and realistic

character-centric

somewhat mundane, ordinary lives

vivid picture of how a normal life can be flipped upside down

journey of a brave protagonist