10 TYPES OF NOVELS

1. BILDUNGSROMAN• Coming of Age / Rite of Passage / Youth to Adulthood• Emotional loss Journey: DifficultyMaturity• Sensitive person searching for answers• Psychological and moral growth; self-actualization;

end = greater understanding of the world• Individual vs. Society• Examples:

Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Huck Finn, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a

Mockingbird

2. DYSTOPIAN NOVEL• Quest for Utopian / Ideal society ends up opposite• Exposure of corrupt / flawed society; conditioning, control, oppression from authority (under guise of “improvement”)• Often a warning against some modern trend• Individual vs. Society• Perverted ideas of justice, freedom, happiness• Social and political critique / satire• Usually: Science-Fiction or Speculative Fiction• Examples:

Gulliver’s Travels, Brave New World, The Giver, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm

3. EPISTOLARY NOVEL• Series of letters or documents (epistola= Latin for

‘letter’)• Form adds realism; more personal narration• 3 types: monologic (letters of only one character);

dialogic (letters of 2 characters); polylogic (3 or more letter-writing characters)

• Examples: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Color Purple

4. GOTHIC NOVEL• Gothic Revival Architecture (rejection of clarity and

rationalism of neoclassical style of Enlightened Establishment; decay and collapse of human creations)

• Extreme emotion, thrills of fearfulness, inherent awe of sublime

• Dark, mysterious, fantastic setting• Psychological terror; supernatural elements; death; decay;

madness; secrets; hereditary curses; superstition; melodrama; horror and romance; nature / strong nature imagery

• Examples: Frankenstein (Romantic Gothic, 1818); Dracula (Victorian

Gothic, 1897)

5. HISTORICAL NOVEL• Fictitious narrative immersed in true historical events;

characters interact closely with significant historical era • Shows influence of historical figures and consequences

of historical movements; characters’ personal lives in conjunction with important historical events / era

• Close-up, personal view of history’s impact on the individual

• Examples: A Tale of Two Cities, Grapes of Wrath

6. NOVELLA

• Prose fiction longer than short story, but shorter than novel (usually 50-100 pgs.)

• Focuses on narrowly circumscribed occurrence, situation, conflict, or adventure

• Often emphasizes suspense and surprise• Often includes psychological metaphor• Examples:

The Metamorphosis, Heart of Darkness, Old Man and the Sea

7. NOVEL OF MANNERS• Behavior, language, customs, values particular to a specific

class of people in a specific social / historical context• Individual aspirations / desires vs. accepted social codes of

behavior & lifestyle of the time, place, culture• Vital relationship between manners, social etiquette, and

“character”; moral significance of behavior• Different degrees as to how characters uphold the

standard level of social norms usually dominates the plot• Examples:

Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Little Women

8. PICARESQUE NOVEL• Episodic string of adventures of wandering, traveling picaro• Picaro = Spanish for ‘rogue’ or ‘rascal’; low social status;

carefree, but engaging / entertaining character, often full of trickery and charm

• Satirical; comical; sometimes crude humor• Depicts, in realistic & humorous detail, journey of roguish ‘hero’

who lives by his wits in a corrupt society; usually escapes danger by skin of his teeth; contrasts ideal, courageous hero

• Often shows critique of classism, racism, sexism, etc.• Examples:

Candide, Huck Finn, Confederacy of Dunces

9. SOCIAL NOVEL• “Sociological” or “Problem” Novel• Concerned with effect of societal institutions and social

conditions on humanity; exposes or advocates need for some kind of social or political change

• Deals with political and economic conditions and everyday hardships during the period in which the work is set

• Examples: The Grapes of Wrath, Oliver Twist, Fear and Loathing in

Las Vegas

10. UTOPIAN NOVEL• Utopia = Greek for “no place” or “good place”• Originates from Sir Thomas More, UTOPIA (1516)• Vision of ideal world / perfect society free from ‘typical’ problems• Ambiguous and ironic projection of this “ideal” state• Most novels of this type combine utopian and dystopian themes (satire of attempt to create societal perfection; social & political criticism; exposure of authoritative flaws; inevitability of human inequalities)