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

•  Rediscover the You can trace the progress of a novel with an expert literary guide.
•  Take a deep dive the Versions earliest of the Genre to form-defining masterworks.
•  Explore the world of literature by taking a journey the Course of Three centuries of history to discover how the The novel was born. the Many ways it shaped Western literature.

Many thousands of Romans are published all over the world. the Every year, there are millions of books published around the world. Many are available at a time that it would take several lifetimes for one person to even be able to read a fraction. of them. But it hasn’t always been that way.

Although humans have always been storytellers in some capacity, the Novel as we know it today is an art form that is relatively new the Timeline of human culture. Of all the There are many ways to tell stories. the Why has novel become such a beloved classic? How did this happen? the Novel go from a narrative experiment using a low level-The brow reputation is a cultural touchstone and focal points of modern literature?

 In the 24 lectures of Rise of the NovelTake a trip from the Birth of the novel to the Height of the Form 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 is Professor Emeritus. of Harvard University will be your guide. of the The most important works that have helped to create and shape the world. the Novel over the Course of Looking at the past for more than three centuries the Historical and social influences coincided with literary tastes shifting along the way.

 Begin with Don Quixote—held up by many scholars as the Which foundational text is it? the novel form would spring—Professor Damrosch will lead you through works both tragic and comic, brief and diffuse, epic and domestic. Beginning works such as La Princesse de Clèves  Robinson Crusoe To pinnacles of the Form in the 19th century, such as Emma  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 Novelty is a very popular form of Entertainment reflects greater changes in Western society the 16th and 17th centuries. Improved printing technology and increased literacy the rise of the A greater focus on the middle and mass audience-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 experiences. As tastes and time changed, so did the style. the Elevated subjects and polished verse of John Milton and Edmund Spenser were two of the first to embrace a larger and more varied literature that could reflect many styles.

 Novels may offer readers new ideas and experimental forms while still dealing with the real world. the eternal questions of What it means to be human. You will be challenged throughout these lectures. the These works address personal and philosophical dilemmas like:

• Mortality. Novels like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Goethe’s Sorrows of Young Werther Although we may look at death and life in different ways they both raise important questions about what it means for us to be alive.
• Ethics. While many novels deal with ethical dilemmas, stories such as Les Liaisons Dangereuses Present a unique lens to be considered the moral dimensions of Society and how or if people are held responsible the They can also cause harm.
• Relationships. You can choose to go through the “light, bright, and sparkling” Comedy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Or the darker tragedy of Samuel Richardson’s ClarissaHuman relationships are often based on lies the Herz of the novel.
• Social issues Fiction may be primarily created for entertainment, but authors such Henry Fielding and Voltaire dug into the depths of fiction. the Realities of They use their time to provide commentary on comedy and conflict through their stories. the Issues of They live for it every day.

 The novel was also published. the Authors who would otherwise have been excluded from publishing are now able to publish. the Possibility of Success as an author is not something you were able to achieve before. the It is used to obtain a high-quality education or patronage from wealthy supporters. Literature the Form of A novel can be written by anyone. This includes writers who are working or poor.-Both women and men come from different classes.-Chances of success for white writers As with all innovations that disrupt, the Status quo is not for everyone. the egalitarian dimensions of This “novel” approach to literature. Similar to 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. There are many novels that are not masterpieces. 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 Without it, the world we know today would be quite different.

 The Art of the Novel

 Although there are many similarities between novels, each novel is unique and uses different tools to create its own experience. of The reader’s reactions and sensations. Through this course you will learn how authors have to make choices in order to realize their visions.

• Comic vs. Tragic. Although novels can be divided into many styles and genres, they are often classified as one. of Two categories of tone: the Comic and the tragic. Many authors specialize in just one area. the Other, however the Sometimes the line between tragedy or comedy isn’t always as straight.-It is as simple as it seems. the Comedy of Voltaire and Jonathan Swift are examples of such writers.
• First Person vs. the Third Person The perspective of A story can make connections between readers in different ways. the story. There are many options within this binary.-Person singular novels, epistolary books with multiple points of View, the omniscient third-Person narrators, indirect discourse free of charge, and many more. Understanding the Effect of Perspective can help you see the bigger picture the The author hopes to convey and enhance the Amazing impact of the story.
• Verisimilitude vs. Realism. Both of These elements enable readers to suspend disbelief while immersing themselves in a story. Verisimilitude refers to belief in the story. the story itself—does it make sense in the world of the novel, even if it’s too coincidental for the real world? Reality, on the On the other hand, it seeks to capture and imbue reality as we know. the A story that makes you feel. 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 Events unfold as they happen, in ways that are fundamentally distinct from all other forms of Fiction writing.

 Romances as a Passion and Pleasure

 The novel was a way for many writers to explore the world through their writings. the The human condition and advocate for change. 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 to learn or a sign of intelligence. of Status in class

 Jane Austen is now recognized as one of the greatest authors of the English language was once spoken the It is necessary to protect books from the Moral judgments of Critics and authors who felt they were too light and trashy to be popular. “real” literature. An passionate defense of the form in her own satirical novel 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 compiles and publishes in one 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 Labor [sic] of the 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 There was a fashion disdain that many people had for novels. This is a view we may find bizarre now, as entire fields have been absorbed into it. of Study is a devoted area the Literary merits, intellectual impact of the novel. If she had been able to see, the In the future, she will be delighted to see that books, including her own, are earning recognition. the They deserve the respect they merit. She would be delighted if they continued to entertain and enrich her life. the Life of the Millions of Readers who engage with