The technique of the novel
the elements of the art, their evolution and present use
The aim of this book is to make clear the principles that underlie the most popular form of literature, the novel. With this end in view, these pages trace historically and by the aid of constant illustration the development of the art of novel writing. Considering the present frequently lamented "tyranny of the novel," it is surprising that the technique of this influential form of art has not been more closely studied. Its principles are often loosely discussed, and histories of the novel or critiques on the work of individuals are abundant; but nowhere has the complete body of accepted law been gathered and formulated for common use.
The necessity for some such undertaking is obvious if the critical study of fiction is to advance scientifically. Hence I have endeavoured here to analyze the novel, to separate its parts, and then, going back to the earliest fiction, to see how each one of these essential elements has been employed and understood through all the ages. Thus the book, without being history, has something of history's cultural value in its chronological advance.
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