Introduction to Novel Course

Novel Course Introduction

• The course aims to introduce students to the art of the novel, covering its main elements such as characterization, plot, setting, climax, conflict, and more.
• Students will learn to identify different types of novels based on their topics and differentiate between novels, novellas, short stories, and other forms of literary works.
• The course provides a theoretical background in literary and critical terminology to enhance students' critical appreciation of literary works.

Course Details

• Course code: Eng. 123
• Teaching hours: 4 hours
• Mid-term exam: 60 marks
• Final exam: 140 marks
• Total marks: 200

Critical and Literary Key Terms

Figurative Language

• Language that employs figures of speech to add connotations and richness to literal meanings.
• Figurative language adds color and immediacy to imagery.
• It is used primarily to create a specific effect on the reader.

Figure of Speech

• A literary device involving unusual use of language to associate or compare dissimilar things.
• Figures of speech depart from the usual order of words or their literal meaning to create an image in the reader's mind.
• Language that uses figures of speech is called figurative language.

Flashback

• A scene that interrupts the present action of a narrative work to depict an earlier event.
• Flashbacks can be presented through reverie, remembrance, dreaming, or other mechanisms.
• The term refers to the scene itself or its presentation.

Flat and Round Characters

• Coined by E.M. Forester in Aspects of the Novel (1927) to describe depth and complexity of characterization.
• Flat characters are easily recognizable by their lack of complexity and are defined by a single idea or quality.
• Round characters are fully developed and have complexities and depths similar to real people.

Historical Novel

• A novel that uses historical personages or events in a fictitious narrative.
• Historical novels often add true-to-life elements to lend authenticity to the narrative.
• The genre is used to explore historical figures, events, and their influences or causes.

Image

• A visual, physical representation of something or a mental picture of a visible thing or things.
• Images can also involve senses other than sight, such as sound, smell, or sensations.

Motivation

• The mixture of situation and personality that impels a character to behave in a certain way.
• Plausible motivation is essential to create convincing characters and actions.

Narration and Narrative

• Narration is the act or process of recounting a story or other narrative.
• Narrative is a story or a telling of a story, or an account of a situation or events.

Narrator

• A speaker through whom an author presents a narrative, often a character in the work.
• Every narrative has a narrator, which can be omniscient, intrusive, or unintrusive.

Novel

• A lengthy fictional prose narrative that develops characters and plots.
• The novel is distinguished from the novella, a shorter fictional prose work.

Novella

• A fictional prose narrative ranging from fifty to one hundred pages in length.
• A novella is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

Omniscient Point of View

• A third-person point of view that permits the author to present external details and information, as well as the inner thoughts and emotions of all characters.
• The omniscient narrator is often described as "godlike" and can reveal or conceal information at their discretion.

Point of View

• The vantage point from which a narrative is told, such as first-person, third-person, or second-person points of view.
• First-person narratives are told from a character's perspective, often with limited knowledge.
• Third-person narratives can be omniscient or limited, and second-person narratives are rare.

Plot

• The arrangement and interrelation of events in a narrative work, designed to engage the reader's attention and interest.
• Plot is distinguished from story, which refers to a narrative of events ordered chronologically.