British Novel In The Eighteenth Century: Influence Of Economic Transition On The Rise Of The Novel

The rise of the novel is a remarkable phenomenon occurred in Britain in the eighteenth century. As a new literary genre, its emergence itself is a part of deviation from tradition. Compared with previous literary forms such as poetry and romance, the novel shows some distinguish features. These differences in fact demonstrate readers' changing taste, which is. deeply affected by social ideologies. Changed ideological thoughts, however, are one aspect of a profound social transformation of Britain. This thesis tries to provide a general description of the transitional period of British society through an analysis on the characteristics of the novel.Chapter One analyzes literary features of the novel from the aspects of the plot, the setting and the language. The stories of the novel differ from those in ancient mythologies and folklore legends, focusing on the real ordinary people and their lives rather than the extraordinary. The language, accordingly, employs prosaic style instead of verses.Chapter Two further explains that breakthrough with traditional classic works of the novel in plot and setting shows the rise of individualism in contemporary ideology; and the concern for ordinary life and application of simple prosaic language are manifestations of widespread realism. Chapter Three explores commercial features of the novel as a commodity from the angles of its use-value and exchange-value. People read novels out of seeking pleasure and instruction. The novel in various substantial forms can be bought in the market after having been commercialized in the course of printing and composing.Chapter Four in succession discusses the requirements for novel readers determined by its use-value and exchange-value. The former asks for literacy and leisure; the latter demands purchasing power in a certain level.Chapter Five then analyzes the two major reader groups who meet the demands of novel reading. The middling sort of people who engage in non-agricultural professions are qualified to be novel readers and women from upper and middling orders are also able to enjoy reading thanks to the consumer society they are set in which liberates them from traditional housework.Chapter Six concludes that non-agricultural economy and the emergence of consumer society are products of the transition of British society from an agricultural one to a commercial one from the end of the medieval times.The rise of the novel is one aspect of social change in that transitional period. Putting the analysis on the rise of the novel in a wide social background, on the one hand, helps figure out the encouraging elements more completely; on the other, provides an approach to better understanding of the transitional period.