History of the Neo-Classical Age

 

1. Write about the rise of the novel form and its development in the Neo-Classical Age.

It was during the Neo-Classical Age, often termed the Age of Enlightenment (1660-1798), when the novel emerged and was adapted as a form of literature. The genres were initially only more narrow definitions of poetry, drama, and essays. Society began to change as the class of the middle class increased, shifting the ideals of readers wanted. Thus, as the readers increasingly demanded more personal stories that were realistic and believable, the novel answered that quest.

1. Society Changes and Novel's Popularity

The Neo-Classical Era witnessed the birth of a literate middle class. This class wanted to see literature that portrayed their life and experiences but not myths, legends, and themes related to aristocracy used in poetry and plays.

Novels presented this "real life" appeal. The novels included common characters, experiencing and grappling with common struggles, hence making the novels readable for a mass population.

2. Important Characteristics of Neo-Classical Novels

Realism: Novels during this period became very realistic; that is, they attempted to portray life as it was. The novels were built from everyday life, largely entailing love, family, money, and society.

Morals and Manners: Since the Neo-Classical Age was concerned with reason and morality, early novels were often didactic in teaching good behavior and social practice. The novel was both entertainment and a moral guide.

Character Development: Unlike the earlier literature, novelists of this era portrayed complex, defective, and identifiable characters.

3. Early Influential Novelists

Daniel Defoe: Often referred to as one of the earliest novelists, Defoe's works, for instance, Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders (1722), brought realism to the settings of the characters. Defoe focused on individual experience, which was a new concept for his time.

Samuel Richardson: Pamela (1740) is arguably one of Richardson's best works. Richardson wrote epistolary novels, which are comprised of letter stories, allowing the readers to gain a firsthand understanding of the characters' thoughts. This made it possible for the readers to empathize with the characters a lot.

Henry Fielding: Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749) is considered one of the greatest works because it reflects a great amount of humor, realism, and the social class issues that prevailed in those days. Fielding's work enabled the cementing of the frame and techniques of the English novel.

4. Influence and Legacy

The Neo-Classical novel opened up the way for later authors and development. It proved that prose fiction could be treated on an equal footing with poetry or drama, thus in the 19th century coming out with even more experimented styles and themes.

More accessible, entertaining, and meaningful reading for a wide range of people, it laid the foundation for the modern novel.

In brief, the novel's emergence and growth in the Neo-Classical Age was due to the needs of society as well as the desire of the middle class for relatable stories and pioneering authors who are setting the stage for what the novel could become. It is on the same occasion that marks the beginning of one of the most important forms in English literature-the novel.