TGC – Rise of the Novel: Exploring History’s Greatest Early Works

•  Rediscover the An expert literary guide will help you trace the development of your novel.
•  Take a deep dive the Versions earliest of the Genre to form-defining masterworks.
•  Enjoy a literary journey through the Course of Three centuries to see how the Novel was born. the It shaped Western literature and culture in many ways.

Many thousands of Romans are published all over the world. the Every year, there are millions of books published around the world. There are so many available that it would take multiple lifetimes to even read a fraction. of them. But it hasn’t always been that way.

Humans have been storytellers since the beginning. the Novel as we know it today is a relatively recent art form in the Timeline of human culture. Of all the Stories are told in many ways. Why is this? the How did novel become such a beloved perennial bestseller? How did it happen? the From a narrative experiment with low expectations, novel go-Brow reputation as a cultural touchstone and focal points of modern literature?

 In the 24 lectures of Rise of the NovelYou will start a journey from the Birth of the novel to the Height of the In the mid-19th century—and better understand what this literary form can tell us about human nature and our unquenchable thirst for great stories. Leo Damrosch, Professor Emeritus of Harvard University is your guide. You will dive into some of the Most important works that helped to create and shape the Over the Course of Looking at the past for more than three centuries the Historical and social influences that were correlated with changes in literary taste the way.

 Begin with Don Quixote—held up by many scholars as the From which foundational text the novel form would spring—Professor Damrosch will lead you through works both tragic and comic, brief and diffuse, epic and domestic. From the earliest works to La Princesse de Clèves And Robinson Crusoe Pinnacles of the In the 19th century: Emma And Middlemarch—along with a few novels that are less familiar today but well worth knowing—you will dive into works with different perspectives and intentions that have all impacted our culture in their own way.

 Worlds Real and Imagined

 The emergence of the Popular form of novel of Entertainment reflects larger changes within Western society the 16th and 17th centuries. Improved printing technology and increased literacy the rise of the Mass audience and a greater emphasis on the middle-class values—rather than the Codes of arcane and aristocratic significance of old—all contributed to the Popularity and accessibility of Literature written in vernacular prose and featuring everyday people and their stories. As tastes and time changed, so did the style. the High-minded subjects and refined verse of Writers like John Milton and Edmund Spenser gave way to a larger and more diverse literature that could encompass many styles and perspectives.

 Novels can be a way to present new ideas and experimental forms to readers, as well as addressing the issues that they face. the eternal questions of What it means for you to be human. These lectures will allow you to engage with the Works that address philosophical and personal dilemmas, such as:

• Mortality. Novels like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Goethe’s Sorrow of Young Werther While we can look at life and death differently, both pose important questions regarding what it means to live.
• Ethics. Many novels deal with ethical dilemmas. Stories like Les Liaisons Dangereuses Present a unique lens to be considered the moral dimensions of Society and how (or whether) people are held responsible the They can cause great harm.
• Relationships. No matter if through the “light, bright, and sparkling” Comedic comedy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Or the darker tragedy of Samuel Richardson’s ClarissaHuman relationships are often based on lies the Heart of the novel.
• Social issues Fiction is often made for entertainment but authors such as Henry Fielding, Voltaire and Stendhal dig deep. the Realism of They use their time to provide commentary on comedy and conflict through their stories. the Issues of Their day.

 The novel was also opened the Writers have the opportunity to be published. the Possibility of Being successful authors is possible despite not having previously. the It is used to obtain a high-quality education or to receive patronage from a wealthy donor. Literature the Form of A novel can be written by anyone, including those who are poor or working.-Both women and men come from different classes.-White writers have a better chance of success. As with all innovations that disrupt, the Status quo is not for everyone. the egalitarian dimensions of This “novel” approach to literature. Much like television. the mid-20th century, many people held the Low contempt is novel-rent entertainment, with some people even going so far as to assert that novels were morally dangerous and would corrupt young readers—particularly, impressionable young ladies. Not all novels are masterpieces. There have been quite a few. of forgettable writing—and just plain bad writing—making its way into the world. But as Professor Damrosch demonstrates, the Impact of the Innovative has been revolutionary the The world we know today would not be the same without it.

 The Art of the Novel

 Although novels share many common features, each novel is unique and uses different tools to create its own experience. of Sensations and reactions in readers. This course will show you how authors make decisions to realize their visions. You will compare and contrast such elements as:

• Comic vs. Tragic. While novels can be classified under many genres and styles they tend to fall under one. of Two categories of tone: the Comic and the tragic. Authors are often specialists in one or the other. the Other, however the Sometimes the line between tragedy or comedy is not always so clear-As cut as it may appear, as the Comedy of Voltaire and Jonathan Swift are examples of such writers.
• First Person vs. third person The perspective of Different stories can create different connections between readers the story. There are many options within this binary, including the first.-Individual novels, epistolary novel with multiple points of View, omniscient third-Person narrators, indirect discourse free of charge, and many more. Understanding the In effect of Perspective can help us understand what the Author hopes to convey and enhance the Amazing impact of the story.
• Verisimilitude vs. Realism. Both of These elements allow readers to suspend disbelief, and become absorbed in a story. Verisimilitude concerns belief within. the story itself—does it make sense in the world of the novel, even if it’s too coincidental for the real world? Realisticism, on the The other is to capture the reality we know and imbue it with meaning. the Story with a sense of Grit and real experience.

 With Professor Damrosch’s guidance, you will better understand how these and other tools help authors tell their stories in ways that engage readers’ sympathies, guide their judgments, and help us become immersed in the As events unfold, they are fundamentally different to other forms of Fiction writing.

 Novels as a Pleasure and a Pastime

 Many writers were able to use the novel to explore their works. the human condition, advocate change, and even reshape societies. But the entertainment value of the novel—the joy and companionship it can bring to readers—can’t be undersold. It is. the After all, it was novel that turned reading into a pastime, a pleasure, and not just a tool for learning. of Class status

 Jane Austen, now known as one of the greatest authors of the English language, once felt the It is necessary to protect novels the Moral judgments of Authors and critics who felt that they were too light and too trashy to be popular. “real” literature. In a passionate defense of the form in her own satirical book Northanger Abbey, Austen takes the Her trademark wit and charm have taken the naysayers to task

 “From pride, ignorance, or fashion, our foes are almost as many as our readers and while the Capabilities of the Nine hundredth abridger of the History of EnglandOr of the A man who collects and then publishes in a volume a dozen lines of Prior, Pope, and Milton, along with a paper the Spectator, and a chapter from Sterne, are eulogized by a thousand pens—there seems almost a general wish of Decrying the Capacity and undervaluing the Labour [sic] of the Novelist, and of slighting the performances which have only genius, wit, and taste to recommend them.“

 Austen’s sharp words are a refutation of Many people held a disdain for novels, which we may find odd now, even though entire fields are covered in them. of Study is a devoted area the Literary merits and intellectual impact of the novel. She could have seen into the future. the In the future, she would be thrilled to find out that novels, including her own, have earned this recognition. the They deserve the respect they deserve. She would be happy for them to continue to entertain and enrich. the Lives of the Millions of Readers who engage with