Rise of English Novel | The Eighteenth Century Novel

  RISE OF ENGLISH NOVEL OR EIGHTEENTH CENTURY NOVEL Novel took its birth from Medieval stories. Medieval stories were in the shape of ballads etc. There were the stories of King Arthur. There were stories of wicked wizard. There were stories of damsel in distress. These novels were mere rambling stories. The people liked such stories in the Middle Ages. In the Elizabethan Age, 'Prose Romance' reached its climax. Sidney's 'Arcadia' is a popular piece of such writings. In the masterpieces, the writings were using flat characters, well-knitted plot and good prose style. Morality was presented in these novels. In the 17th century, a new genre was introduced 'Picaresque Novel' . It remained popular till the days of Fielding and Smollett. The word 'Picaresque' has been taken from a Spanish word 'Picaro' which means a villain or rogue. The story bases on hero's adventures. On the way, he meets many misadventures. Such stories were fu