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The English Novel

By George Saintsbury
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British LiteratureEssays, Letters & Speeches

About This Book

A panoramic critical survey that traces the development of English prose fiction from medieval romances and saints' lives through early modern experiments to the novel's consolidation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The book identifies major sources and recurring motives—adventure, love, satire, social observation—while analysing structural features, narrative techniques, and methods of character-drawing. Chapters group movements and principal writers, follow shifts in form and genre, and consider the novel's varieties and successors, concluding with reflective remarks on recent directions and on principles of novelistic development rather than isolated book reviews.

About the Author

Saintsbury, George portrait

George Saintsbury

George Saintsbury (1845-1933) was a prominent English literary critic, historian, and scholar, known for his extensive contributions to the study of literature. His works often explore the evolution of literary forms and styles, with notable titles including "A History of Elizabethan Literature" and "A History of the French Novel." Saintsbury's scholarship is characterized by a deep appreciation for the nuances of literary criticism and taste, as seen in his multi-volume series on European literary criticism. He also authored essays and manuals that reflect his expertise in English prosody and literature, making him a significant figure in the literary heritage of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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