Novel REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

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2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Novel

A novel is a long narrative, normally in prose, which describes fictional characters and events, usually in the form of a sequential story. While Ian Watt in The Rise of the Novel 1957 suggests that the novel came into being in the early 18th century, the genre has also been described as a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years, with historical roots in Classical Greece Rome, medieval, early modern romance, and in the tradition of the novella. The latter, an Italian word used to describe short stories, supplied the present generic English term in the 18th century. Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, is frequently cited as the first significant European novelist of the modern era; the first part of Don Quixote was published in 1605. While a more precise definition of the genre is difficult, the main elements that critics discuss are: how the narrative, and especially the plot, is constructed; the themes, settings, and characterization; how language is used; and the way that plot, character, and setting relate to reality. Popular fiction has dealt with almost any topic the modern public sphere has provided. Class and gender divisions are omnipresent in love stories: the majority of them harp on tragic confrontations that arise wherever a heroine of lower social status falls in love with a doctor, the wealthy heir of an estate or company, or just the Alpine farmer whose maid she happens to be. It is not said that these aspirations lead to 8 happy endings. They can be read as escapist dreams of how to change social status by marriage; they are at the same time constant indicators of existing or imaginary social barriers. All major political confrontations of the past one hundred years have become the scenery of popular exploits, whether they focused on soldiers, spies, or on civilians fighting between the lines. The authors of popular fiction–and that is the essential difference between them and their counterparts in the sphere of so-called elitist literature–tend to proclaim that they have simply exploited the controversial topics. Dan Brown does this on his website answering the question whether his Da Vinci Code could be called an anti-Christian novel: “No. This book is not anti-anything. Its a novel. I wrote this story in an effort to explore certain aspects of Christian history that interest me. The vast of majority devout Christians understand this fact and consider The Da Vinci Code an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate. Even so, a small but vocal group of individuals has proclaimed the story dangerous, heretical, and anti-Christian. While I regret having offended those individuals, I should mention that priests, nuns, and clergy contact me all the time to thank me for writing the novel. Many church officials are celebrating The Da Vinci Code because it has sparked renewed interest in important topics of faith and Christian history. It is important to remember that a reader does not have to agree with every word in the novel to use the book as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith.” The author of popular fiction has a fan community to serve and satisfy. He or she can risk rebuffing both the critical public and its literary experts in their search for interesting readings as Dan Brown effectively does with his statement on possible readings of his novel. The popular authors position towards his text is generally supposed to be relaxed. Authors of other types of literature are by contrast supposed 9 to be compelled to write. They follow says the popular mythology their inner voices, a feeling for injustice, an urge to face a personal trauma, an artistic vision. The authors of popular fiction have their own calling: they must not fail the expectations of their audiences. A covenant of loyalty and mutual respect is the basis on which the author of popular fiction continues his or her work. The typical branches of the production have no contact to mythologies of authorship.

2.2 Jesus in the Bible as Literature