Novel: genre essence. The concept of genre

The novel is one of the leading genres modern literature. Despite the fact that it appeared in the eighteenth century, the peak of its popularity falls directly on the new and modern times. Perhaps this is explained by the fact that in the modern world, novelistic issues, often dedicated to the fate of individuals, encounter fewer obstacles and restrictions than in previous eras.

If you answer the question of what a novel is, you can find two definitions. On the one hand, this epic work, exceeding several hundred pages in volume. On the other hand, it is a work that tells about the destinies of individuals who are looking for their purpose in the world. Moreover, given that there are both novels in verse and lyric-epic novels, the second definition is closer to the truth. Works in this genre tend to depict modernity, either directly or indirectly. In the second case, the novel may take place in an alternative universe or in the past, but its problems will still refer us to the world of the present.

It is impossible to talk about what a novel is without mentioning its forms. Since there are many different works of this genre, their classification was adopted depending on some specific features. The most common forms of the novel include the following:

Adventure novel. In it, the plot revolves around the adventures of heroes who find themselves in various specific situations.

Well-known epics fall into this category. In such works, the author, as a rule, turns to a specific era and seeks to depict the fate of a particular class of people.

Psychological novel. In it, the reflections and experiences of the main character (who, as a rule, is alone) come to the fore. An effective plot line may be practically absent.

Satirical novel. As the name suggests, this form of novel satirizes various social phenomena.

Realistic novel. Works of this variety are aimed at an objective reflection of the surrounding reality.

Fantastic novel. This also includes works in the fantasy genre. In novels of this form, the author creates own world in which the action takes place. This could be some parallel reality or a distant mechanized future.

Journalistic novel. It is a work of journalism, created with the help and equipped with a plot.

So, the answers to the question of what a novel is can be extensive and varied, nevertheless, works of this genre are quite easy to distinguish from all other prose. As a rule, novels have a large length, and the characters in them develop throughout the plot. Many of them cover a wide range of problems that in one way or another relate to modern world. Therefore, when discussing what a novel is, one should remember that this genre is inseparable from the time in which its author lived and created. And then it becomes clear that the novel is an artistic reflection of reality.

Literary (from the French genre genus, type), historically developing type of literary work (novel, poem, ballad, etc.); V theoretical concept about J. the features characteristic of a more or less extensive group of works are generalized... ... Literary encyclopedic dictionary

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Novel. History of the term. The problem of the novel. The emergence of the genre. From the history of the genre. Conclusions. The novel as a bourgeois epic. The fate of the theory of the novel. Specificity of the novel form. The birth of a novel. The novel's conquest of everyday reality... Literary encyclopedia

NOVEL (French roman, German Roman; English novel/romance; Spanish novela, Italian romanzo), the central genre (see GENRE) of European literature of the New Time (see NEW TIME (in history)), fictional, in difference from the neighboring genre of the story (see... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

A; m. [French] genre] 1. A historically established type of art or literature, characterized by certain plot, compositional, stylistic and other features; individual species of this genus. Musical and literary genres... encyclopedic Dictionary

Novel in verse literary genre, combining the properties of composition, chronotope and character system inherent in the novel with poetic form. Although certain analogies are possible between a novel in verse and a poetic epic, especially in its... ... Wikipedia

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Books

  • Game of the Cat, Roman Yurievich Prokofiev. Attention! The audio recording contains obscene language. A science fiction novel by Roman Prokofiev, the first book in the “Cat’s Game” series, genre: combat fantasy, heroic fantasy, LitRPG. At the Merchant's...audiobook
  • Cat game. Book two, Roman Yurievich Prokofiev. Attention! The audio recording contains obscene language. A science fiction novel by Roman Prokofiev, the second book in the “Cat’s Game” series, genre: combat fantasy, heroic fantasy, LitRPG. Virtual market...

Originally the word "novel" not used as literary term. A novel was originally called any work written in one of the Romance languages: French, Spanish, Catalan, Provençal, Italian, Sardinian, Romansh, Dalmatian, Romanian, Portuguese, Galician. It was only in the 19th century that the word “novel” acquired a terminological meaning.

Description of the genre

A volume began to be called a novel literary work, written in prose or verse, covering a significant time period of events in the hero’s life. Distinctive feature The novel is served by its focus on the fate and character of the individual. At the same time, the main task of the novel is to reveal the inner world of the hero, focusing on his thoughts, experiences, aspirations, and worldview. The novel is called an epic privacy.

Common to all works of this genre is the contradiction between the character of the hero and his fate, i.e. reality in which the hero has to live. The hero has internal potentials, which circumstances do not allow him to realize. Circumstances make significant adjustments to the implementation of the hero’s plans. The hero experiences, suffers, suffers, changes, develops or dies. A novel is always a part of the hero’s life. This is a work related to life. A novel does not necessarily have a completed ending. Often the reader is left with the opportunity to figure out what will happen to the hero after the text of the novel ends.

What kinds of novels are there?

Novels can be historical, fantasy, romance, family, or biographical. A novel is a detailed narrative about the life of a private person. The heyday of the genre in Russian literature occurred in the mid-to-late 19th century, when the novels of F.M. Dostoevsky (“Crime and Punishment”, “The Brothers Karamazov”), I.S. Turgenev (“Fathers and Sons”, “Smoke”), Goncharov (“ An ordinary story", "Oblomov") and many, many others. A striking example A novel in verse is a novel by A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin".

In this article we will talk about how a novel differs from a story. First, let's define these genres and then compare them.

and story

A fairly large piece of fiction is called a novel. This genre is classified as epic. There may be several main characters, and their lives are directly related to historical events. In addition, the novel tells about the entire life of the characters or about some significant part of it.

A story is a literary work in prose, which usually tells about some important episode in the life of a hero. Current characters usually a few, with only one of them being the main one. Also, the length of the story is limited and should not exceed approximately 100 pages.

Comparison

And yet, what is the difference between a novel and a story? Let's start with the novel form. So, this genre involves the depiction of large-scale events, a multifaceted plot, a very large time frame that includes the entire chronology of the narrative. The novel has one main storyline and several side ones that are closely intertwined into a compositional whole.

The ideological component is manifested in the behavior of the characters and the revelation of their motives. The novel takes place against a historical or everyday background, touching on a wide range of psychological, ethical and ideological problems.

The novel has several subtypes: psychological, social, adventure, detective, etc.

Now let's take a closer look at the story. In works of this genre, the development of events is limited to a specific place and time. The protagonist's personality and fate are revealed in 1-2 episodes, which are turning points for his life.

The story has one plot, but it may have several unexpected twists that give it versatility and depth. All actions are connected with the main character. In such works there are no clear links to history or socio-cultural events.

The problems of prose are much narrower than in the novel. Usually it is associated with morality, ethics, personal development, manifestation personal qualities in extreme and unusual conditions.

The story is divided into subgenres: detective, fantasy, historical, adventure, etc. It is rare to find psychological story, but satirical and fairy-tale ones are very popular.

What is the difference between a novel and a story: conclusions

Let's summarize:

  • The novel reflects social and historical events, and in the story they serve only as a background for the story.
  • The life of the characters in the novel is presented in a socio-psychological or historical context. And in a story, the image of the main character can only be revealed in certain circumstances.
  • In the novel there is one main plot and several minor ones that form a complex structure. The story in this regard is much simpler and is not complicated by additional plot lines.
  • The action of the novel takes place in a large time period, and the story - in a very limited one.
  • The novel's themes include big number questions, and the story touches on only a few of them.
  • The heroes of the novel express ideological and social ideas, and in the story it is important inner world character and his personal qualities.

Novels and stories: examples

We list the works that are:

  • "Belkin's Tales" (Pushkin);
  • “Spring Waters” (Turgenev);
  • “Poor Liza” (Karamzin).

Among the novels are the following:

  • “The Noble Nest” (Turgenev);
  • "The Idiot" (Dostoevsky);
  • “Anna Karenina” (L. Tolstoy).

So, we found out how a novel differs from a story. In short, the difference comes down to the scale of the literary work.

Novel - literary genre, usually prosaic, which involves a detailed narrative about life and personal development Main character(heroes) in a crisis/non-standard period of his life.

The novel is a biography or a piece of biography.

The novel is an epic of private life, modeling reality, but not claiming that the events are actually happening.

The novel must be viewed historically. The oldest form that has come down to us is the adventure novel. They have a certain plot core. It consists mainly of overcoming external obstacles, is devoid of signs of time, there is no psychologism, there are no changes in the heroes. This plot is in many ways close to fairy tale plot . But there is detailed descriptions

exotic countries.

The difference from the epic is that the hero is a private person. Such novels were entertaining. In antiquity, another type of novel arose - a parody novel (a parody of an adventure novel). Example: Apuleius “The Golden Ass”.

Traveling around Greece. Small scale hazards. He travels in the form of a donkey, the novel is very frank, through the eyes of a donkey the author can show low life, which the adventurous novel has never been interested in. The prospect for satire opens up. In the Middle Ages, a chivalric romance (courtly romance) appeared. Created in the 12th-13th centuries. Centered around all that is noble. It's like returning to a fairy tale.

Absorbs mythology. (About the search for the Holy Grail). The knights who act in these novels resemble fairy-tale heroes. Fairytale motifs are transformed here. Courtly lyrics (about serving

beautiful lady ). "Tristan and Isolde" - moments of transition from a fairy tale to a novel., "Don Quixote" is the most, important stage in the development of the novel. Initially, it was a parody of a chivalric romance. Marked the transition from the chivalric romance to the novel itself. The novel widely describes the cruel prose of life. This is what Cervantes brings to the table. Cervantes is born new topic- a lonely eccentric in a cruel world. This low reality becomes central to the picaresque novel.

A picaresque novel

Possible narrative options in the novel:

    from the birth of the hero until his death (“ Perfumer» P. Zyskinda, “Doctor Zhivago” Pasternak), Oblomov;

    from the birth of the hero until his/her life emerges from the crisis state of life (“ Life of David Copperfield», Charles Dickens or " The burden of human passions», William Somerset Maugham);

    from the point of entry of the protagonist into a crisis state of life until the denouement (“ Crime and Punishment», Fedor Dostoevsky).

Fathers and Sons

Novel forms:

cultural-historical novel (Turgenev, Goncharov)

a typical hero of his era. Such a novel is constructed as an ideological dialogue. The novel actually turns into a study.

ideological (ideological novel) Dostoevsky.

The author does not accept the heroes' ideas, he lets the heroes speak out to the end and shows the consequences. "Polyphonic Novel" (Bakhtin)

naturalistic novel

a naturalistic novel is an exploration of nature, people, and the environment. Its authors are no longer attracted by intricate intrigue, a deftly invented plot and developed according to certain rules.

prosthetic novel

able to absorb everything The novel will die only along with literature. This is a universal genre.