Novel & Essential Elements of Novel

 Novel & Elements of the Novel

The word "novel" comes from the Italian word "novella," which denotes a fresh take on an existing theme or idea.

The novel can be simply described as a long prose tale. A novel is not a brief prose story; rather, it is a detailed and illustrated account of several events that occurred throughout the life of a character. It is a comprehensive autobiography of a character from the book.

Whatever the book's intended purpose, it is clear that it captures the author's era in exquisite detail. It functions similarly to a mirror in that it reflects the image of whatever is held up to it. A novel also accurately depicts the trends, peculiarities, and characteristics of the modern period.

Scholarly Definitions

Some critics have defined the word novel differently.

Dr Tillyard defines the novel as “a novel is a not too unorganized, fictitious (fictional) narrative in prose of at least, say, 20,000 words.” 

W.E Williams defines it as “a long narrative (narration/tale) in prose detailing the actions of fictitious (fictional) people.” 

Elements of a Novel

The foundation (construction) of a novel is comprised of some components. Every one of these components is necessary for any novel. Without these components, no written work could fall under the category of a novel. Here are a few components of a novel:

Ø Characterization

Ø Plot

Ø Dialogue

Ø Point of View

Ø Setting

Ø Theme

 

1.   Characterization in a Novel

A novel's characterization is a crucial component. It involves the art of developing characters for a book or play. Through characterization, the author reveals the personalities of the characters. Direct characterization and indirect characterization are the two types of characterization.

When a character is directly characterized, the author tells us who they are upfront. He can reveal a character's temperament (or disposition) by using a variety of descriptive adjectives. Name, location, relationship, age, job, mindset, behaviour, etc. are all part of one's identity. Consider the following instances:

He is undaunted, fearless and above all an honest man.

She is the queen of beauty and an embodiment of feminine virtue.

In the aforementioned lines, the modifiers applied undoubtedly uncover the identity of the character.

While the author uses a variety of strategies for indirect characterization to highlight the essence of the character. He conveys the character's individuality through his actions, voice, conduct, and appearance. For instance, Antony's speech after killing Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar completely reveals his distinctive characteristics of Antony. It reveals his personality to us. It demonstrates his ability to inspire people to rise in rebellion against Julius Caesar's killers through his speech. Similar to this, Hamlet's soliloquies in William Shakespeare's famous tragedy Hamlet reveal his character. It demonstrates Hamlet's philosophical outlook. Look at his soliloquy, where Hamlet's personality is both obvious and understandable:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks

That Flesh is heir to?                                     (Hamlet by Shakespeare)

Each novelist needs to construct several characters to aid in the development of the plot. These types include round characters and flat characters.

Characters are classified as either flat or round, with flat characters remaining the same throughout the narrative and round characters evolving. In any type of fiction, rounded characters are crucial. They are the ones who carry the narrative forward.

For instance: In his lecture Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster distinguished between round characters and flat characters. In this aspect, Charles Dickens is a superb illustration. In his novels, he presents a lot of rounded and flat people. Consider his book Great Expectations, in which Mr Joe remains the same throughout the story but Mr Pip goes through various changes and is unquestionably an exact illustration of a rounded character. Mr Joe, who is a terrific friend and helper to Mr Pip, is not someone he wants to meet since he forgets his modest beginnings.

2.   Plot in a Novel

The distinction between a plot and a story can be seen in Aristotle's statement that "Plot is the order of episodes." "The King died and the queen died," according to E.M. Forster, is a narrative. The plot is "The King died and the Queen died of sadness." A story or the novel's framework is the plot. It is a crucial component of a book. The plot is similar to a building's pillar. If we take away the pillar, the entire structure will undoubtedly fall. Similar to how a story cannot be structured without a plot.

Every novel's narrative often includes the following elements: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Dénouement. These crucial story components are covered in further detail below:

i.                  Exposition

The first stage of the plot is exposition. Every novel begins with the introduction of several characters. The interactions between these people advance the plot. 

ii.               Rising Action

Exposition leads to rising action. The action in the book builds gradually until it reaches its climax, which is also known as the plot's climax. It consists of several incidents, disputes, and enemies. It also carries the designation of complexity.

iii.           Climax

The most crucial phase of a plot is the climax. It is Rising Action's heightened climax. Rising Action's climax marks the beginning of the Climax. This section of the plot is generally regarded as the most poignant (arising effect), turbulent (disruptive), provocative, and motivating in all novels. The reveal of Pip's donor is the book's climax in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. The novel's culmination is Pip realizing who his true sponsor is.

iv.            Falling Action

The beginning of the plot's Falling Action marks the conclusion of the Climax. The Falling Action of a plot occurs each time the action is reversed and the main character experiences a dramatic transformation.

v.               Dénouement

Resolution is another name for dénouement. It is the story's climax. It resolves the ongoing struggle and puts a stop to the plot.

Let's now talk about several different novel narratives kinds. The following three kinds of plots have been covered by William Foster-Harris in his book, The Basic Patterns of Plot.

ü A Happy Ending Plot: As implied by the name, this plot has a happy conclusion. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens serves as an illustration in this regard. At the book's conclusion, Pip and Estella are reunited after experiencing many trials and tribulations.

ü An Unhappy Ending Plot: An unpleasant ending is the subject of a novel's "unhappy ending plot". Typically, the main character in this plot gives his life to further a noble cause. Any reason may be this one, yet it would not lessen its enormity and significance.

X Inconclusive Plot: An uncertain finale of the novel is referred to as an inconclusive plot.

 

3.   Dialogue in Novel

A novel's dialogue is a crucial component. A written conversation between two or more characters in a book is referred to as dialogue. It seems that dialogue serves numerous purposes. It not only advances the plot of the book but also reveals (exposes) the character's personality. It provides us with some great details about the scenario, period in time, age, and location of the characters. It also gives us a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the perspectives of other characters. Their use of language and tone (voice modulation) reveals a character's personality.

Without speech, a novel's entire structure sounds like a dry essay. It improves your ability to think clearly and gives you a vague sense of joy. If the text is presented as a dialogue, the readers won't become weary of it quickly. The novel won't be made up of just prose. A novel is a representation of real life, not an essay. The importance of dialogue in a novel is therefore extremely crucial. W.H. Hudson asserts that discourse must meet the following criteria:

It should be a natural component of the story, inseparable from it, and help with either the narrative's advancement or the characterization of the characters in connection to the storyline.

For dialogue to be truly and fully effective, it needs to be appropriate, dramatic, and natural. The author of a novel should take care to ensure that the language used in dialogue is appropriate for the setting and consistent with the speaker's personality. The book portrays life as it is truly lived, thus if the language used does not match the speaker's personality and skill, the book will become unrealistic.

Point of View in a Novel

A novel's point of view is typically a key component. The point of view is the author's chosen narrating technique for presenting the events in a novel. It is the use of pronouns to convey the author's point of view. There are often three different kinds of points of view: first-person, second-person, and third-person.

First Person Point of View

First Person Point of View is a style of narration in which the author tells the full tale of the work using first-person pronouns. I, me, and we are used to too much. The author or another character, such as the hero or heroine, usually tells the story from this unique point of view. It is a significant and organic way to tell the story. The author's account has credibility thanks to the First-Person Point of View. The fact that the author is the one telling the story to the readers creates the sense that the story is based on reality and has no elements of fiction. The novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens serves as a good illustration. In this book, Pip, the protagonist, tells the tale. Look at the illustration below, which is from the novel Great Expectations:

With my Christian name Philip and my father's family name Pirrip, my toddler tongue could only construct Pip out of both names. I gave myself the name Pip and eventually adopted it. (Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations)

v Second Person Point of View

Second Person Point of View is a style of narration in which the author tells the novel's story using second-person pronouns. This viewpoint is sometimes referred to as the Objective Point of View. Novelists rarely use it since it is the most difficult point of view to write from. To move the plot along, the author must employ the pronouns you and yours. The author appears to be a spectator from this particular point of view (viewer). He hardly pays attention to the story's events. Take a look at the following illustration from Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City:

You don't seem like the kind of guy who would be here at this hour in the morning. What brought you here? Tad Allagash, your friend, was there. Brazilian marching powder is racing through your head. You are conversing with a female who has her head shaved. You want to get to know the kind of girl who won't be at this event. (Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City)

v Third Person Point of View

A third-person point of view is a style of storytelling in which the author uses third-person pronouns. He, she, it, and they are among the pronouns used by the author. Because it allows for greater storytelling versatility, authors employ it more frequently. The novelist has a wide range of options for learning about any character or circumstance. The point of view is what reveals the character's characteristics to us. It also goes by the name Omniscient Point of View for this reason. Take a look at the illustration below from Jan Austin's book Price & Prejudice:

With him, Sir William had been ecstatic. He was pretty young, incredibly attractive, and incredibly pleasant. To top it all off, he planned to bring a sizable group to the next gathering. There is nothing more lovely! Being fond of dancing was a sure sign of being in love, and Mr Bingley's heart was filled with extremely vivacious hopes. (Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice)

5.   Setting in a Novel

A novel's setting is another interesting component. Setting refers to the locale where the events of the story took place. It could be a single location or several, like in Henry Fielding's book The History of Tom Jones. The setting helps readers visualize a scene in their thoughts, which makes it simpler for them to comprehend the setting in which the characters are located. An uncertain and unrealistic setting might detract from (spoil) a novel's quality. The author of the novel must portray the setting to the readers like a mirror reflects an image. The reader will better understand the novel's content if the setting is described in vivid detail.

Numerous elements make up the setting, including the climate, geography, socioeconomic status, surroundings, etc. These components have an impact on the novel's overall atmosphere. The reader gains insight into the characters' emotional states through the weather. You may have heard the eerie and frightening wolf noises in Wuthering Heights, which give us a sense of how the setting is. It makes the dark tone of the book clear.

6.   Theme in a Novel

The main idea that the author seeks to convey through the novel's events is its theme. It is the main concept of the book. One central idea drives the book's entire plot, and the author's goal is usually always to inform the reader about this notion. You can't write a beautiful story until you have a clear notion in your head. Every book and every short story has a theme that the author wants to make clear (clarify). As a result, a novel's theme has become important. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens aims to demonstrate that love is more valuable than money. The only thing that can make Pip's personality alter for the worse is money. Pip becomes a name-dropper due to his wealth, and he doesn't want to meet Mr Joe because he is an antisocial, country bumpkin. He no longer remembers the friendship, love, behaviour, and treatment he received from Mr Joe when he was a young child.

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