Aspects of the Novel

Nonfiction | Reference/Text Book | Adult | Published in 1927

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapter 5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Background

Socio-Historical Context: Edwardian England

The early 20th century in England, which is often referred to as the Edwardian period, was a particularly important period for literature, and especially for the novel. In the Victorian period, which immediately predates the Edwardian period, literature largely focused on society. In contrast, Edwardian novels are generally more introspective, focusing on exploring the individual’s experience in relation to society rather than on society as a whole. Also, many British novels of this period began to question the morality of imperialism, including Forster’s own A Passage to India (1924).

The early 20th century was also a tumultuous period, especially in England, due to World War I and the devastation it caused across Europe. Many experimental novels of this period, especially those by Joseph Conrad and Virginia Woolf, explored the individual soldier’s experience. As a result of the trauma soldiers experienced during World War I, the field of psychology began to try and define what was then known as “shell shock”—the condition that has come to be understood as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This focus on the human psyche was also reflected in experiments in literature, especially in the relatively new form of the novel.

Literary Context: The Novel

The novel is a comparitively new form of literature in the Western World. Although there are some examples of works that could be considered novels in the Classical era and the Medieval period, most scholars consider the first genuine novel to be Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote, published in 1605. There is considerable debate among both scholars and writers as to the precise definition of the novel as a form. A novel, by most accounts, is a prose work of a certain length, and it is different from history, poetry, or drama. However, there is considerable debate regarding exactly how long a work should be to qualify as a novel. Also, ever since the Medieval period, scholars cannot agree on how to determine whether a work is a history or a fiction. Many works, including Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, which was composed in the 15th century, were considered true histories during the Middle Ages—even when those works included obviously impossible magic. In England, after the Enlightenment period that began in the 17th century, the distinction between history and fiction was more firmly cemented. However, even in contemporary times, the debate continues about whether novels must be entirely fictional and whether historical accounts can hold only objective truths—in most cases, there are spillovers, owing to human experience and subjectivity.

Socio-economic factors contributed to the popularity of the novel in the 18th and 19th centuries. With the advancement of the middle class due to the burgeoning Industrial Revolution, books and printing became cheaper and more available; also, a large portion of the population gained more leisure time in which they could read. At this time, some critics believed the novel was a source of concern given its often sentimental nature. They feared the novel would corrupt young women and draw them into corrupt behaviors. However, the dawn of the 20th century saw a shift in attitude toward the novel. As the novel’s persists as a popular form of literature, it gains respect from academia, critics, and artists. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel is one of the earliest attempts to codify the form and explain how it functions, separate from other literary forms.