Psychological Novel Meaning and Origin
Psychological Novel | Psychological Novel Meaning and Origin
A notable type of novel is the psychological novel. This type of novel is a novel in which the novelist gives emphasis on the delineation of the inner world of his characters. In other words, the psychological novel deals with the psychology of the characters—their inner thoughts, emotions, passions, and motives which generally remain hidden in the mind of the characters. In a psychological novel, the emphasis is given to the delineation of character than the delineation of the plot. In a psychological novel, the hero or heroine is the main character that got more analysis than other characters. It shows how a character feels in a particular situation, how his mind acts or reacts to the particular circumstances, and what conflicts tear or trouble his mind.
The psychological novel dates as far back as Richardson. His Clarissa Harlowe is undoubtedly the first English psychological novel in which the novelist reveals the inner workings of his heroine Clarissa. Thus Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones is psychological in character. After Richardson and Fielding, the psychological novel suffered an eclipse until the advent of the later Victorian novelists. Amongst the later Victorian novelists, Elizabeth Gaskell is worth mentioning novelist who announced the emergence of the psychological novel as a special type of novel. Her Ruth is a worth mentioning psychological novel.
After Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot is another female novelist whose motive was to reveal the psychology of her characters. In her first psychological novel Adam Bede, she analyses Donnithorni’s reaction to his seduction of sorrel and this analysis marks the beginning of the psychological techniques based on introspection. Thus her Middlemarch is another notable psychological novel in character.
After George Eliot, Meredith another English novelist also indulged in delineating the inner works of his characters. ‘The Egoist’ by him is a type of psychological novel which reveals the psychologies of all who are egoists.
Another psychological novelist is Henry James. He, in his The Portrait of a Lady analyses the inner emotions and feelings of his character Archer who married a dilettante called Osmond. In this novel, he gives a vivid picture of the mental dilemma of her character Isabel Archer who was married to Osmond not for love but for her fortune that is to say for her wealth.
After Henry James, this type of novel has been gone to be created regularly not in English only but also in almost all the languages of the world.
The psychological novel reaches its height in the stream-of-consciousness novel which is regarded as a special type of novel. 0 0 0.
Psychological Novel Meaning and Origin
N. B. The article ‘Psychological Novel Meaning and Origin’ originally belongs to the book entitled ‘ The Laws of Literature‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Psychological Novel Meaning and Origin
Books on Literary Criticism by M. Menonimus:
- World Short Story Criticism
- World Poetry Criticism
- World Drama Criticism
- World Novel Criticism
- World Essay Criticism
- Indian English Poetry Criticism
- Indian English Poets and Poetry Chief Features
- Emily Dickinson’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Walt Whitman’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Critical Essays on English Poetry
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: Return of the Spirit-An Analytical Study
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: ‘Yawmiyyat Naib Fil Arayaf’-An Analytical Study
- Analytical Studies of Some Arabic Short Stories
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Pre-Islamic Period (500 AD-622 AD)
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Early Islamic Period (622 AD-661 AD) …
Related Search:
