 Realistic Novel:

A fictional attempt to give the effect of realism. This sort of novel is sometimes called a novel of
manner.

Examples: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

 Picaresque Novel:
A picaresque novel relates the adventures of an eccentric or disreputable hero in episodic form.
Examples: Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1901)

 Historical Novel:
A Historical novel is a novel set in a period earlier than that of the writing.

Examples: Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities,

 Gothic Novel:
Gothic novel includes terror, mystery, horror, thriller, supernatural, doom, death, decay, old
haunted buildings with ghosts and so on.

Examples: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

 Autobiographical Novel:
An autobiographical novel is a novel based on the life of the author.

Examples: Charles Dickens’ David Coppefield, Great Expectations,

 Satirical Novel:
Satire is loosely defined as art that ridicules a specific topic in order to provoke readers into
changing their opinion of it. Examples: George Orwell’s Animal Farm
 Regional Novel:
A religious novel is a novel that is set against the background of a particular area.

Examples: Novels of Charles Dickens George Eliot etc.

 Novella:
A novella is a short, narrative, prose fiction. As a literary genre, the novella’s origin lay in the
early Renaissance literary work of the Italians and the French. Examples: Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,

 The Intellectual Novel:

These sort of novelists attempted to explore the intellectual responses of the intelligentia to the
world.
Examples: Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter,
 Psychological Novel:
Psychological novels are works of fiction that treat the internal life of the protagonist (or several
or all characters) as much as (if not more than) the external forces that make up the plot.
Examples: Virginia Wolfe’s To the Lighthouse, Mrs. Dolloway, James Joyce’s Ulysses,
.

 Novel of Incident:
In a novel of incident the narrative focuses on what the protagonist will do next and how the
story will turn out.
Examples: The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars etc.

 Novel of Character:
A novel of character focuses on the protagonist’s motives for what he/she does and how he/she
turns out.
Examples: Jane Austen’s Emma.

 Dime Novel:
Dime novels were short works of fiction, usually focused on the dramatic exploits of a single
heroic character.

 Hypertext Novel:
Hypertext fiction is a genre of electronic literature, characterized by the use of hypertext links
which provide a new context for non-linearity in literature and reader interaction.
Examples: James Joyce's Ulysses (1922).
Sentimental Novel:
The sentimental novel or the novel of sensibility is an 18th-century literary genre which
celebrates the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentiment, sentimentalism, and sensibility.

Examples: Samuel Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740),

.

 Science Fiction (Sci-Fi):

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction dealing with imaginative concepts such as
futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel
universes and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other
innovations.

Examples: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, The Time Machine.

 Anti-Novel:
An antinovel is any experimental work of fiction that avoids the familiar conventions of the
novel, and instead establishes its own conventions.

Examples: Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy.

 Interactive Novel:
The interactive novel is a form of interactive web fiction.
Examples: J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series.

 Fantasy Novel:
Stories involving paranormal magic and terrible monsters have existed in spoken forms before
the advent of printed literature.

Examples: J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

 Adventure Novel:
Adventure fiction is a genre of fiction in which an adventure, an exciting undertaking involving
risk and physical danger, forms the main storyline.

Examples: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

 Children’s Novel:
Children's novels are narrative fiction books written for children, distinct from collections of
stories and picture books.

Examples: The Christmas Mystery, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White,

 Dystopian Novel:
A dystopia is an unpleasant (typically repressive) society, often propagandized as being utopian.
Examples: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Giver by Lois Lowry etc.

 Mystery Novel:
The mystery genre is a type of fiction in which a detective, or other professional, solves a crime
or series of crimes. It can take the form of a novel or short story. This genre may also be called detective or
crime novels.

Father of English novel

Richardson, Fielding, Smollet and Stern are known as the four wheels of the
novel. Among them Fielding's contribution to English novel is noteworthy. It is
true that even before Fielding, Bunyan, Defoe and Richardson had written novels.
But none deserve to be called the father of English novel. It is Fielding who gave
a definite form and proper shape to the English novel. He formulated the theory of
novel writing. He made invaluable contributions to the development of plot
construction and the art of characterisation. He made the novel an effective
weapon of social criticism. He tried to advocate a healthy philosophy of life. He
imbued his writings with a very solemn purpose. On these grounds Sir Walter
Scott rightly calls him the father of English novel.
Plot :- Plot before Fielding did not hold much importance. But Fielding
revolutionised the concept of plot construction. He employs very coherent and
organic plots. He conducts them with utmost skill. The plot of 'Tom Jones' is one
of the three best plots ever planned. It is a closely-knit organic plot. In short, his
plots are thoroughly architectonic. Thus a well organised plot is one of the main
contributions of Fielding.
Comic Epic in Prose :- Another contribution of Fielding is his concept of
novel as a comic epic in prose. He formulated the theory of novel in his prefaces
of Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones. He introduced characters of great variety. He
depicted their lives in all its authenticity.
Characterisation :- Fielding is the creator of the novel of character. He
breathed life into his characters. He peopled the novel with a great crowd of lively
and interesting characters. They are compounded of both good and evil
elements. Like Shakespeare he portrays all kind of human characters as real
human beings.
Realism :- Fielding is the first realist of the English novel. Common life is
the material of his novels. He brings the whole world, as we see it. He reproduced
reality faithfully and accurately. He presents a complete and comprehensive
picture of the contemporary society. His realism is epical in its range. Thus
Fielding is the founder of modern realistic novel.
Humour :- Fielding employed all types of humour in his novels. In Joseph
Andrews it is farcical, in Tom Jones ironical and in Jonathan Wild satirical. His
humour is exuberant, spontaneous, tolerant and genial. He lashes out his satire
at affectation, vanity, pedantry, hypocrisy and vice. But he is always human and
humane. Irony is a great weapon of his satire. All the great humorists are
influenced by Fielding.
Other Reasons :- Fielding is champion in so many other respects. His
another great contribution is the localisation of the scene. He gives graphic
details of Tom's journey to Londonon the highways. His novels are thoroughly
English. His dialogues are lively as well as natural. He was superb craftsman. His
art of narration is praiseworthy. He brought a healthy moral vision. He is tolerant
of natural human weaknesses but he does not tolerate hypocrisy. He advances a
very sound moral philosophy.
Thus Fielding's contribution is noteworthy. He gave to the novel a great
scope. Due to his great contributions, Scott called him 'the father of English
novel'. About Fielding's contribution Allen says, 'The form the novel took in
England for more than a hundred years had its origin in Fielding, and in this
respect, Smollett, Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Meredith all wrote in his
shadow'.