THE RISE OF THE NOVEL

THE RISE OF THE NOVEL=L’ORIGINE DEL ROMANZO

WHERE? ENGLAND

WHEN?                     18th century = 18° SECOLO 

                                    100 ANNI = 1 SECOLO

                                  1700                           1800             

IT WAS AN AGE OF CULTURAL AND POLITICAL DEBATE.

• PEOPLE DISCUSSED IN THE COFFEE -HOUSES      

• THERE WAS A CIRCULATION OF IDEAS THANKS   TO    

 THE NEWSPAPERS 

• THE MIDDLE CLASS BECAME IMPORTANT 

• THE INTEREST OF MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE IN 

  LITERATURE GAVE RISE TO:

1)    JOURNALISM                                                                            

    2)    THE NOVEL                                                                              

- PROSE BECAME IMPORTANT

- WRITING BECAME A PROFESSION

       Daniel Defoe

- MANY GREAT WRITERS STARTED AS JOURNALISTS

THE “FATHERS” OF ENGLISH NOVEL ARE:

-DANIEL DEFOE "ROBINSON CRUSOE"

- SAMUEL RICHARDSON

- HENRY FIELDING

- JONATHAN SWIFT  "GULLIVER’S TRAVELS"

 

THEY ARE NOVELISTS. 

MOST READERS WERE MIDDLE-CLASS WOMEN.

  

             

BOOKS:

THEY USED TO BORROW BOOKS FROM CIRCULATING LIBRARIES

MOREOVER COFFEE-HOUSES ALLOWED THE CIRCULATION OF NEWS AND OPINIONS

COFFEE-HOUSES WERE ATTENDED BY FASHIONABLE AND ARTISTIC PEOPLE   
         

COFFEE-HOUSES WERE EXCLUSIVELY ATTENDED BY MEN 

THE CHARACTERS OF THE NOVEL: 

THEY HAVE CONTEMPORARY NAMES AND SURNAMES (ROBINSON CRUSOE)

THEY STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL OR FOR SOCIAL SUCCESS.  

DEFOE’S MOST FAMOUS NOVEL IS ROBINSON CRUSOE.

IT’S THE STORY OF A SHIPWRECK ON A DESERT ISLAND.

THE ISLAND IS THE IDEAL PLACE FOR ROBINSON TO PROVE HIS QUALITIES 

GOD IS THE PRIME CAUSE OF EVERYTHING, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL CAN SHAPE HIS DESTINY THROUGH ACTION