History Of English Novels ( Udita ma'am )

Features of Novel

1.A novel is an extended prose narrative (cause and effect sequence of events).

2.E.M. Forster in his book         Aspects of the novel, writes that a novel has four important components-
•Plot
•Character
•Rhythm
•Pattern

a)Plot is a sequence of events connected by a cause and effect relationship. Story is just the series of events as they happen. A good plot is called an organic plot. However, if the plot is loose the events are connected in an artificial manner.

b)Character is the complete sketch of a persons appearance and behaviour. A ‘flat’ character is built around a single idea, its action is predictable and there is no development in this character. However, a ‘round’ character is built around more than one idea, the reader cannot predict its action and this character develops throughout the novel.

c)Rhythm means that some particular metaphors are repeated in the novel but every time there is a new layer to the meaning. In this way rhythm means repetition plus variation.

d)Pattern refers to the overall tone and approach of the novel.

Background to the rise of English novel

● The earliest traces of novel can be seen in the works of ancient Greek and Latin writers. These writers wrote stories of ideal love and adventure. The Latin writer also wrote pastoral romances. The word romance means a story of adventure, mystery, magic and sometimes love. The word pastoral comes from the word pastor which means  a shepherd. Pastoral romances are stories of love, magic and adventure set in the rural life. The Latin pastoral romances influenced the writers of Italy and Spain and Later on the writers of England.

● A novel generally has the content of realism. Realism means a life like presentation of situations behaviours and feelings. In English prose realism became prominent in the 13th century when Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) wrote the Canterbury tales using both prose and verse. It had stories told by Canterbury bound pilgrims who belonged to different sections of the English society.  However, in English prose before the renaissance fantasy, chivalry and adventure were more prominent than realism. Sir Thomas Malory’s  Morte d’ Arthur was major work of prose romance based on the legend of King Arthur and the Holy Grail.

● Under the influence of renaissance English prose continued to develop. The tradition of prose romance continued Thomas Lodge inspired by an Italian short story, wrote Rosalynde. On the other hand many writers began to combine fiction with moral lessons and a realistic picture of the society inspired by Plato’s Republic. Sir Thomas more presented the image of an ideal world in Utopia. Francis Bacan’s The New Atlantis was the story of the discovery of a superior race of human beings.

● By this time the Spanish Picaresque narrative had begun to influence English prose. The word ‘picaresque’ comes from the Spanish word ‘picaro’ which means a ‘wandering rogue’. Narratives like Thomas Nashe’s The unfortunate travellers or the life of Jack Wilton focus more on the hero’s adventure and less on plot construction and characterisation.

● In the Puritan age, there was a growth in the number of narratives giving moral lessons. John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress was a religious allegory which became almost as popular as the bible. This book had three qualities of the modern novel- story telling, Natural dialog and Characterisation, but it could not be called a Novel because the moral element was too prominent.

● In the second half of the 17th century realism became more prominent in prose romance. In her Narrative Oronoco, Mrs. Aphra Behn presented a realistic picture of a ‘noble savage’. Realism continued to grow in the 18th century as well. In the 18th century several periodicals such as The Spectator which was run by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele presented a true picture of the English society. Their essays contained several remarkable characters such as the character of Sir Roger de Coverley. Due to improvements in characterisation these periodicals are considered ‘The modern novel in germ’. Daniel Defoe produced many prose narratives such as Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders but these narratives are not considered as novels because they did not have proper plot and character development and the adventures were often very different from normal life.

● In this way the growth of the English novel happened in different stages before the first proper English novel Pamela was published in 1740.

English novels in its early years

Although, English novel went through a long process of development the first English novel Pamela was published in 1740. It was written by Samuel Richardson. This novel was an epistolary narrative (containing letters written by the characters to each other). The story was about a lady's maid Pamela who wrote letters to her parents about Mr. B who wanted to seduce her. Richardson also wrote other epistolary novels such as Clarissa which was about the life of a middle class lady and Sir Charles Grandison about an aristocrat. Richardson was the first writer to focus on characterisation in detail particularly the female characters. His main purpose was to give moral lessons, therefore in some places his novels become tedious.

Henry fielding was a contemporary of Richardson. Fielding’s novel Joseph Andrews (1742) was written as a parody (imitate someone to have fun) of Pamela. This novel was about the adventures of Joseph Andrews, who was supposed to be the brother of Pamela and his companion Parson Abraham Adams. Fielding’s next novel The history of Tom Jones, a foundling(1749), was about a foundling(orphan) Tom Jones. It was a picaresque novel. Fielding also wrote other novels such as Jonathan wild(1743), and Amelia(1751), his last work was Journal to the Voyage to Lisbon, an account of his own journey.

Fielding’s approach to morality was different from Richardson’s approach. Richardson had the tendency to preach, but Fielding did not give lectures on morality. With the help of humour Fielding wanted to “Laugh men out of their follies”. Fielding presented a realistic picture of common people particularly people belonging to the lower classes based on his experience as a magistrate he presented a wide range of characters and situations. He also knew the difference between “real and supposed virtue”. He was never judgemental about his characters. Technically speaking, Fielding was better than Defoe and Richardson in areas such as plot, characters and realistic situations. For example Fielding used the idea of unity and balance in his novels.

Like Fielding many writers attempted to present a realistic picture of men and manners. One of them was Tobias Smollett, he is regarded as the creator of the sea novel in English. His novels are based on his experience as a surgeon on a battleship. He wrote novels like Roderick Random (1748),Peregrine pickle(1751),Humphrey Clinker(1771).

Features of the novels

The novels of Tobias Smollett present a “large diffused picture of life”. These novels are in many ways inspired by Spanish picaresque narrative titled Don Quixote. Smollett often followed the Jacobean writer Ben Jonson’s Theory of humours in characterisation. Ben Jonson believed in the ancient concept that human behaviour is controlled by the volume of four fluids of humours in the body. These fluids are blood, bile, choler and phlegm. The excess or deficiency of any fluid creates a particular impact on the personality. Smollett created many peculiar characters such as Commodore Trunnion in Peregrine Pickle and Mathew Bramble in Humphrey Clinker. Such exaggerated characters influenced the characters created by the Victorian novelist Charles Dickens.

Another contemporary novelist Lawrence Stern became famous for the Nine Volumes (1759-1767) of his novel Tristram Shandy, This novel was incomplete at his death and Stern had started the novel ‘with no real idea how it was to turn out’. The plot is loose however it has memorable characters like Uncle Tobi and Corporal Trim. In the book A Sentimental Journey   through France and Italy. Laurence Sterne put together fiction and counts of travel and essays. However, Sterne was often accused of plagiarism (one writer copies the work of other writers ). People felt that Sterne copied from the writings of Robert Burton.

The four writers - Richardson, Fielding, Smollett and Sterne are collectively known as the "Four Wheels of English Fiction". These writers prepared the foundation on which the English novel had a remarkable beginning.

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DOMESTIC NOVEL

After the first English novel Pamela was published in 1740, many English writers under the influence of Richardson began to write novels on the family life and the domestic values in the contemporary in the contemporary English society. This kind of 'novel of manners'. In this novel, the focus was on the behaviour of characters in a particular social environment. The domestic novel did not have anything 'improper or immoral'. Oliver Goldsmith wrote the novel The Vicar Of Wakefield (1766), it was an example of the domestic novel. Similarly Frances Burney wrote domestic novels such as Evelina (1778) and Cecilia (1782). Domestic novel has continued to flourish down the ages.

GOTHIC FICTION

In the later half of 18th century. There was the revival of Gothic fiction in English literature. The term Gothic originally referred to the Goths, an early Germanic tribe and this word later on came to denote medieval. The term 'Gothic Fiction' refers to novels about magic, mystery, terror and the supernatural which were set in the medieval period or in unusual unfamiliar locations. These novels represented a contrast against the English novels based on moral lessons or realistic presentation of the society. The word 'revival' indicates that the elements of magic, mystery, adventure and supernatural used to be prominent in the Elizabethan age and these elements made a comeback only in the second half of the 18th century.

Features of Gothic Fiction

Gothic fiction had some remarkable features. The narrative was often about the middle age. It was often set in old broken isolated castles in the rural area. The action often focussed on an innocent heroine captured by a cruel villain. The hero came to rescue the heroine typically on stormy nights full of thunder and lightning the writer use typical devices and clues such as screeching doors, secret chambers and basement rooms. The purpose was to entertain the readers with the hell of horror and terror.

According to Mrs. Ann Radcliffe, terror is different from horror she believes that “ terror expands the soul and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life.” On the other hand horror follows the usual trick to evoke fear. In this way horror simply “ annihilates” the artistic possibilities if presenting fear. In order to increase the intensity of terror and suspense Gothic fiction often used gruesome presentation of violence. These writers felt that terror and violence have great appeal to the human mind.

The first great work of Gothic fiction was the novel The castle of otranto (1764), written by “ Horace Walpole”. This novel was inspired by a medieval Italian romance, the action was centred around an isolated castle, this novel became very popular because it was totally different from the other contemporary novels about morality and real social life. Walpole also influenced later novels such as “Clara Reave’s” The old English barron (1777). This novel combined contemporary life with medieval setting. William Beckford wrote the Gothic novel Vathek (1786) inspired by the Arabian Nights. Matthew Gregory Lewis presented extreme violence in his novel The Monk (1795). Mrs. Ann Radcliffe wrote a number of Gothic Novels between 1789 and 1797. These novels were superior in style examples are The Castles Of Athlin and Din bahne, A Sicilian Romance, The Romance Of The Forest and The Mysteries Of Udolpho. Gradually, the term Gothic fiction began to include fiction about terror and violence created because of unusual psychological conditions. Examples are Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and Bram Stoker's Draculla (1897).

For sometime, Gothic novel was very popular, it provided a change of taste from the novels based on realism and moral lessons but its popularity decreased very soon because of its weakness, the setting characterization, terror and violence did not have much variation of ten. There was not any proper motivation for the action. However, the Gothic novel had its own importance. It satisfied the demand for entertainment. Through reading, more and more people were getting education and printed books were becoming affordable. So, people demanded to have reading material drama was in a state of decline so reading became the most popular medium of entertainment. On the other hand, Gothic Fiction revived the interest in imagination, magic, mystery, supernatural and emotions like fear and violence. The focus shifted from the neo-classical ideas of objectivity and realism and the atmosphere was now ready for the romantic revival which took place in the last part of the 18th century.

Romantic Novel

In the history of English novel, the romantic age spans from 1780 to 1830. This period was about the rise of romanticism and the development of a democratic attitude all over Europe. The French revolution in 1789 encouraged the principle of liberty, equality, and fraternity. As people fought against political corruption and social injustice. The focus goes on the complete development of every individual without thinking of class or status. These factors contributed to the development of the English novel.

Romanticism refers to an interest in human life in relation to nature, human imagination, feelings and emotion, memories of the past and the elements of magic mystery and supernatural. In the 18th century, people in Europe began to oppose the over emphasis on urban life and human intellect. People felt that urban culture and intellectual development could not solve problems like corruption and inequality. The French philosopher Rousseau gave the call 'back to nature'. In England the publication of Lyrical Ballads, a collection of poems by Coleridge and Wordsworth, in 1798 formally announced the romantic revival. The English novel also began to change.

Till the beginning of the romantic revival, the English novel has mainly focused on urban social reality. Now, the focus shifted to the emotional reality and the English rural life. In this age quite a few women writers came up and they wrote about the experiences women. The English novel in the romantic age reflected the general spirit of awareness about the importance of social equality. On the other hand, the romantic tendency of focusing on the past was also seen in the writings of novelists like Sir Walter Scott who wrote about historical themes.

Specific writers :

Jane Austen ( 1775 to 1817 ) was one of the important romantic novelist. She wrote about a particular section in the English rural society, the gentry ( rural land owners ). She belonged to the gentry herself. She specifically highlighted the life of the women in the gentry. In her novels the central issue is marriage, she showed that a women can get security and status only if she got married. At that time, the English society did not allow women to study in institutions, to get employment or even to get a share in the father's property, so marriage became the only option for their future. However she presents female characters who are intelligent, mentally independent, have a proper sense of morality and display both wit and spontaneous charm. Jane Austen gave much importance to moral development and that is why even her heroines like Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodhouse undergo a learning experience to have moral devlopment. Her novels focus on the cultivation of a balanced way of thinking. Her major novels are Pride & Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Persuasion (1818) and Northanger Abbey (1818). However, it is interesting to note that Jane Austen did not show any involvement in the political and economic affairs of that age.

Besides Jane Austen, Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) was also an important women novelist. She wrote about the changes in the Irish and English societies that came after the Acts of Union in 1800. ( Ireland had always been under England's control. The acts of Union passed in 1800 united the kingdom of the Ireland with the kingdom of great Britian ). She discussed how because of such changes there was a gap between the land owners and the tenants. Her focus was more on the moral and psychological impact of such changes.

Another women writer Susan Edmonstone Ferrier (1780-1854) wrote about the Scottish life and various social issues related to women. Her major novels are Marriage, Destiny and The Inheritance.

In the romantic age, several novelist produced what we call the provincial. It means novel about small town or village in a particular area. Such writers include Maria Edgeworth, Susan Edmonstone Ferrier and John Gatte. John Gatte (1779-1834) wrote about the Scottish life. He brought together the Scottish flavour and the English taste. His novels such as The Entail (1822), Annals Of The Parish (1821) present the social and political changes in the contemporary society. Annals of the Parish also shows how a small event like the construction of a cotton mill in a small town could be as important as the impact of intentional events on that town. His other novels are The Aryshire Legatees and The Provost.

In romantic age the historical novel took its proper shape. This age gave importance to the influence of the past. Writers like Horace Walpole and Maria Edgeworth wrote about stories of the past. It is sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) who is the father of the historical novel. He brought together the tradition of historical fiction and the contemporary novel of manners. He wrote about the Scotland in the 17th and 18th century but he analysed the medieval concept of honor and chivalry. Such issues are seen in his novels like Ivanhoe, The Talisman and The Betrothel. He also wrote a series of Waverley novels about the recent Jacobite uprisings. The dialogue in his novels contains both, the illusion of the past and the local Scottish flavour.

The Bronte sisters wrote novels which featured the deeper realities of the individual's passions and emotions. In this way, they are categorised as romantic novelist although their novels were published in the Victorian age. Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights (1847) brings alive intense passions of love and hatred and analyses the Romantic conflict between nature and culture through the characters Catherine, Heathcliff and Edgar. Charlotte Bronte is famous for her novel Jane Eyre (1847) which analyses the plight of a girl who falls in love with a married man and also experiences what the society calls madness.

Romantic novel became famous for highlighting the emotional reality of life. But in the 19th century, there was industrialisation, spread of democratic awareness and the conflict between science and religion. The focus again shifted from the individual to the rapid changes in society and culture. As a result the English novel gradually left the romantic tendency to focus on inner life and it began to reflect changes in society, culture and morality. In this way romantic age was followed by the victorian age. The victorian age came to be known as the golden age of English novel.

  Victorian age.(1830-1890)

Victorian novel refers to English novels written between 1830 and 1890. The Victorian age gets its name from Queen Victoria who ruled England from 1837-1901. In this age English was so dominant that Victorian age is the golden age of English novel.

Queen Victoria’s rule was a period of social prestige and political dominance of England and the increase of colonisation by England. On the other hand the French revolution had encouraged democratic awareness which brought political reforms such as the abolition of slavery in English colonies (1833). The Industrial revolution of 1851 encouraged urbanisation and profit for the capitalists but it also brought large scale rural to urban migration, unemployment overpopulation in cities and a bigger gap between the rich and the poor. There was also an intellectual conflict in the society. In his book The origin of species (1869), Charles Darwin gave the theory that human beings have evolve out of other organisms. He rejected the concept of divine creation of man. In this way there is an open conflict between science and religion,  but many people did not know what to believe. Such confused people displayed the attitude known as “Victorian compromise” (adjust into a confusing life with the hope for a better future). However, some people displayed ‘complacency of toryism’. This means that they thought the social changes were not permanent and did nor want to accept them (The term tory indicates the person who supported the traditional rule of the king or queen so, a tory always supported tradition). The Victorian society also saw women getting the right property and the right to vote (the success of women’s suffrage)

GENERAL FEATURES OF VICTORIAN AGE:
Victorian age was a time of many social changes. So the Victorian novel became a vehicle is social criticism as many writers wrote about social changes, problems and possible solutions. These novels also talked about issues of morality but the presentation of reality was done in a sentimental manner and many novels reflected the moral hypocrisy of the Victorian society.  For example,  Abercrombie said that Victorian age was the time of “deliberate sentimentalism.”

Charles Dickens (1812-1870), was an important name in the early Victorian novels.  He wrote many popular novels such as The Pickwick Papers, David copperfield, Oliver Twist, Hard times, Great expectations, Bleak house, A tale of two cities. Dickens talked about the urban society and the problems created by industrialization and social and economic inequality. For example his novel Oliver Twist shows the problems of children  becoming the pawns criminals and his novel like David Copperfield and great expectations focus on the problem of orphan children. He doesn't give any particular solution to any problem but he focusses on the basic goodness of a man. With the help of satire, he brings out the selfishness greed and cruelty but his satire is not bitter. He often presents a large variety of characters but his characters are often flat Characters. For example, in David copperfield the character Uriah Heep presents only the idea of a hypocrite. His approach is often sentimental. He wrote in a journalistic style focusing on social and moral criticism.  Since his novels are serially published in newspaper columns. The plot is often loose and episodic and the characters are not very comprehensive.

Along with Charles Dickens, William makepiece Thackeray (1811-1863) also wrote about the urban society the materialistic culture and the extreme ambition brought by this culture. However he left the reader to draw his own conclusion. He presented satire on the moral failure of the middle class and the upper middle class.  He gave particular attention to his female characters Becky Sharp in Vanity fair (1848). He also wrote some historical novels but focussed more on the psychological motives of individuals and less on the historical facts. His novels Henry Esmond (1852) is based in the 18th century but the characters behave in the Victorian manner.  Dickens and Thackeray focused on the urban society but writers like  George Elliot focussed on the rural society. Her real name was Mary Ann Evans . Her famous novels are Adam Bede 1859, The mill on the Floss 1860, Silas Marney 1861, Romola 1863, Middle March 1871 and Daniel Devon day 1876, she talks about how industrialization change the rural society, including the changes in the thought process and the moral standards. She often presents the poetic justice to highlight that good always wins over evil. Some of her novels such as The Mill On The Floss reflect political problems such as corruption during elections.

A few Victorian writers are away from the typical novels on social reality for example the writings of the Bronte Sisters focussed on the inner reality. Emily Bronte in her novel Wuthering Heights (1848) presented a complex love story to show the conflict between nature and culture. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre was about a girl in love with a married man. Similarly, Lewis Carroll did not write about social reality and morality.  His novels like Alice in Wonderland and Through the looking Glass explore the world of a child’s imagination.  This world appears to be absurd but sometimes it makes more sense than the complicated world of adults.

In the later half of the Victorian age confusion and disillusionment increased because of industrialization, poverty, unemployment, inequality and conflict between science and religion. During those years amok these social changes are reflected by Thomas Hardy, in his novels such as Far from the madding crowds 1874, The return of the nature 1878, The mayor of casterbridge 1886, Tess of the dubervilles 1891, Jude the obscure 1895, Hardy focuses on the intellectual confusion in the society as well as the conflict between Destiny and human character. He believed that God is not always kind and human life is twisted and turned by the Immanent will (cruel Destiny) that is why he writes at the end of the Mayor of casterbridge that happiness is “the occasional episode in a journal of pain”. He also talked about how men considered women to be their ptoperty in the social and economic sense. He also talked about rural- urban divide. In his novels The return of native, The woodlanders and such others. He uses the natural background of the area known as wessex as an important component of the action. During this period people of to about the various factors of psychological reality along with morality. For example Robert Louis Stevenson a case of split personality in his novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this novel explored how good and evil are present in the same person. Many writers wrote about life outside Europe. Henry James, wrote novels such as The portrait of a lady which which was the conflict between the European and American culture. On the other hand several writers wrote about the European colonies where the white people were the masters of the coloured native population in Asia, Africa and south America. Rudyard kipling became famous for his novels like The jungle book. He believed that colonialism was justified as it was the white man’s burden to civilise the so called uncultured  coloured population.

In the 1890’s the Victorian age began to experience a transition into the modern age. Writers continued to focus on social reality, psychological reality, conflict between science and religion, colonisation, problems of industrialisation, inequality and disillusionment. Several new tendencies came up. For example:- Oscar wild’s movement “Art for Art’s sake” separated art from social and moral issues. There was the rise of new genres such detective fiction, in the works of Sir  Arthur Conan Doyle. It can be said that the 20th century began with technological and scientific development on one hand and chaos and disillusionment on the other hand.

English novel in the 20th century.

In the 20th century, English novel developed in many ways. From 1900 to 1950, English novels saw the rise of post modernism.

The rule of queen Victoria ended in1901 and she was succeeded by Edward 7. In the opening years, of the 20th century. England had to face a number of anti-colonial movements. The rivalry between various countries in Asia-Europe and North-America resulted in the first world war (1940-1980). Very soon people understood that war could only bring destruction and poverty. There was industrialisation which evolved up in a major economic breakdown in the form of great depression in the 1930s. It increased poverty, unemployment, inequality, and confusion. Between 1900 and 1940 English novel focussed on social reality and the individuals reaction to the social situation for example H.C. Wells wrote several sociological novels about the contemporary situation such as Kipps (1905), the history of Mr. Polly (1910) and Marriage (1912). John Galsworthy wrote novels about the weaknesses of the upper middle class using accurate observation as in The man of Property,   Chancery and The Forsyte Saga. Arnold Bennett wrote about the poor people in his novels The Old Wives' Tale, Clayhanger, Hilda Lessways. On the other hand Aldous Huxley presented the hollowness of the modern world where science could make the body comfortable but could not help in spiritual development. His famous novels are Crome Yellow, Those Barren Leaves, Point Counterpoint and Brave New World.

Where as these writers talked about the outer reality some writers focussed on analysing the beauty of human mind. for example Joseph Conrad analysed questions like sin, crime and corruption without using superficial judgement he also used new techniques. In his novel The Nigger of Narcissus as well as his masterpiece Heart of darkness, the story is broken into a number of small scenes and the same story is narrated from the points of view of the different calendars. In this way in the 1920s and 1930s people began to take interest in psychology because the outer social reality was very confusing and people wanted to understand the deeper reality of life.

PSYCHOLOGICAL NOVEL

The psychological novel came up in the 1920s, several psychologists Sigmund freud, Carl Guston Jung, Henry Bergson, presented totally new theories regarding human mind. the psychological novel became synonymous with the stream of consciousness novel but several writers such as D.H. Lawrence continued to use traditional structure and technique in his novels like  The White Peacock (1911), Sons and Lovers (1913), Women in Love (1921) and Lady Chatterley's lover ( 1928). D.H. Lawerence talked sexuality man women conflict and the hollowness of the industrial culture. However, most of the psychological novels used the new concept of the stream of consciousness. The term stream of consciousness was given by the American psychologists in his book Principles of Psychological, this term means means that human mind is like a stream. Different Feelings thoughts and sensations flow about in random manner any thought can lead to any idea or memory without sticking to any logic or sequence of time.

In the stream of consciousness novel the writer tries to show the random thoughts in the minds of the characters the narrative presents a zig-zag movement between reality and imagination and across past , present and future. The writer uses techniques like the internal monologue (one character thinks about one or more things and he does not speak out these thoughts openly).

Dorothy Miller Richardson's novel Pointed Roofs (1915) was the first stream of consciousness novel in English. However Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) is regards as the pioneer of the stream of the consciousness novel with her works The Waves, To The Lighthouse, Mrs. Dalloway and Between The Acts. She focuses on spiritual reality and the experiences of women. Virginia Woolf felt that stream of consciousness technique is a true expression of the expression of life.

"Life is not a series of gig-lamps symtre arranged, life is a luminous halo, a semi transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end."

James Joyce also used stream of consciousness in his novels. His novels Ulysses (1922) presents the stream of consciousness of Leopold Bloom and his wife over a period of 24 hours. This novel was inspired by Homer's Odyssey. The novel Finnegan's Wake uses stream of consciousness to present the dreams of H.C. Earwaker on a single night. All these novels satirise the hollowness of modern life.

Apart from stream of consciousness the psychological novel also used other theories such as Henri Bergson's theory of Duree ( inner time ). Duree is different from clock time. Duree is a continuous flow of experiences that cannot be divided into past, present and future. Psychological novel was also practiced by other writers such as Ivy Compton Burnett and Elizabeth Bowen.

By 1940 the psychological novel began to decline a little. It was quite complex and away from the outer reality. The great depression and the approach of the second world war had triggered social and economic disturbance. English novel again began to look at the external reality.

Inter-war novels are novels written between the two world wars. These novels along with the psychological novel followed the drastic changes in human life because of the disasters of wars. In this way Inter-War novels talked about how the individual and the society changed from inside as well as outside because of the two world wars.

Somerset Maugham wrote about human weaknesses in the modern society. For example : his novel Cakes On Ale ( 1930 ).  criticises pseudo intellectuals. His other novels include of Human Bondage and Razor's edge. JB Priestly wrote about the ordinary life and people in his novels like The Good Companions, Let The People Sing and Day Light on saturday. Historical fiction also developed, Robert Graves re-examined old myths in his novels like I, Claudius and the golden fleece. On the other hand many writers wrote escapist novels to escape the sufferings of war with the help of fantasy.

English novels also developed in America. Earnest Hemingway wrote about honesty, courage and belief in the essential goodness of human life. His famous novels are 'THE OLDMAN AND THE SEA', 'A FAREWELL TO ARMS' and 'FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS'. Several american writers use various techniques although psychological novels. William Faulkner in his novel 'THE SOUND AND THE FURY' used techniques like broken narrative, multiple points of view, different opinions of the characters on the same thing. Such psychological technique were also seen in the novel 'THE GREAT GATSBY' written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this way english novel developed into various directions during the inter war period.