Novel Essay Examples

Literary life in England flourishes so impressively in the early years of the 18th century that contemporaries draw parallels with the heyday of Virgil, Horace and Ovid at the time of the emperor Augustus. The new Augustan Age becomes identified with the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14), though the spirit of the age extends well […]

Bernard Malamud 1914-1986 American novelist and short story writer. The following entry provides criticism on Malamud’s works from 1975 through 1999. See alsoBernard Malamud Criticism (Volume 1), and Volumes 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 27. INTRODUCTION Malamud is considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish-American literature. His stories and novels, in which reality and fantasy are frequently interlaced, have been […]

Flaubert’s literary contributions have earned him high regard and acceptance from critics. Despite previous criticism for its perceived lack of structure, absence of a strong protagonist, and moral ambiguity, Flaubert’s novel “A Sentimental Education” has rightfully gained immense respect by modern critical standards. The novel has been recognized for pioneering the structure, style, and symbolism […]

From the start, Whitney Terrell’s The King of King’s County seems to be a book about the American Dream; more specifically, it’s a book about the progression of society in a particular city and suburb in Missouri.  And on the surface, that is in fact the theme.  But delve a bit deeper, and there are […]

Shacochis’ new novel, The Woman Who Lost Her Soul, fuses his narrative versatility and his deep understanding of multiple cultures into what Robert Olen Butler calls hismagnum opus. Its suspense revolves around the murder in Haiti of stunningly beautiful Jackie Scott, but before its far-reaching web of interactions ends, it brilliantly unveils the darker regions of […]

JM Coetzee’s ‘Disgrace’ is a novel that chronicles the fall from grace of its protagonist, David Lurie. The misfortunes he suffers are varied and sometimes disturbing. But, although David’s experiences of disgrace could be interpreted as being only that of a middle aged white South African who is refusing to grow old gracefully, the idea […]

Although both Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and Rodney Bennett’s TV series adaptation capture the essence of Jane Austen’s novel, there are variations in their portrayal which add and detract from each version. Discrepancies occur due to differences in the directors’ nationalities, target audience, characters, and events. Consequently, the US adaptation is […]

Those women who feature in Michael Frayn’s ‘Spies’ are predominately presented to us through the eyes of the adolescent protagonist; Stephen, whose conflicting feelings relating to them are representative of his evolving maturity. His confusion is intensified by the fact that the women he encounters throughout the novel do not wholly conform to the social […]

Author Miller, a celebrated contemporary dramatist recognized for his empathy towards the mistreated and neglected in society wrote The Crucible. It serves as a noteworthy example of the detrimental effects that arise when people’s covert desires go unchecked, escalating to uncontrollable levels, with severe consequences. Abigail’s infatuation with John Proctor exemplifies this, as although the […]

The narrative techniques that Frazier has used to present the journeys of Inman, Ada and other characters can be seen through flashbacks, premonitions, dreams and the meetings of unexpected people. The key element in this novel is how the two protagonist characters; Inman and Ada, both have their own separate journeys in individual chapters which […]

The victims were all men who had a negative reputation. Elle Haddock questions whether the existence of individuals such as arms dealers, child porn merchants, and irresponsible business men justified the killer’s decision to end their lives. The protagonist of Ian Banks’ novel ‘Complicity’, the sinister character Andy, also contemplates this same dilemma. The website […]

“Set In Darkness” by Ian Rankin is a novel with a dramatic and socking ending. Rankin creates this effect by portraying the protagonist, John Rebus as willing to do anything in order to arrest the criminals in the story. During Rebus’s investigation into a body found in a fireplace in Queensberry House and also the […]

Towards the end of the novel as Vernon faces the death penalty for a crime he didn’t commit, he has an outer body experience. The ending is indefinite as the reader is left questioning whether Vernon is alive or dead. The uncertainty of Vernon’s fate is worth exploring.From chapter twenty-six onwards, a chain of events […]

‘Sexing the Cherry’ is considered as a post-modern text because it has been broken away from the Victorian narrative and rational tradition which is usually linear (start, middle and end) while post-modernism is usually mixed up. This is to break away from normal traditional writings and making it more catching for readers. Also, it values […]

The closure of a novel is always a daunting task for any author. Whilst some endings of novels are designed such that the main conflict is resolved, tying up all loose ends, some endings are also assembled to bring the story to a more open and ambigous conclusion. The focal point of this essay will […]

“Paddy Clarke Ha ha ha” by Roddy Doyle tells the story of a ten-year-old boy growing up in Ireland in 1968. The novel follows Paddy Clarke’s journey as he develops and undergoes changes during a specific period in his life. Through Paddy’s experiences, the book captures the essence of childhood in Ireland at that time, […]

Comparing two distinct versions of Melbourne’s criminal underworld, Chopper Read’s book details his childhood and early immersion into gang culture, while the other text explores various crimes committed by different gangs. In this text, I will compare the novel to the movie Underbelly, which was written by Peter Gawler and directed by Tony Tilse. Underbelly […]

Will Smith plays the role of Robert Neville, a genius scientist who failed to control a relentless and manmade virus. Despite being immune, Neville is now the sole survivor in what is left of New York City. Despite being alone, the protagonist in the story is not truly alone – he is accompanied by “the […]

The Rise of the English Novel English literature has a long and colorful history. From the masterfully written old English tales of Chaucer to the countless Shakespearian dramas to the poetic verses of Tennyson, England has produced some of the richest treasures of the literary world. Not until the eighteenth century, however, did a type […]

A Clockwork Orange depicts a disturbing tale of the future of humanity, with its setting in a totalitarian state that blends elements of Soviet communism and American capitalism. Written as a dystopian fiction, Burgess’ novel is a logical extension of contemporary conditions rather than a purely speculative forecast of what’s to come in the early […]

The story “On the Danger of Reading Fiction”, Thomas Jefferson clearly shows his dislike for the world of fiction novels. Jefferson has stated that fiction novels are “time lost in that reading” and thinks it should be instructively employed. It’s apparent that anyone who is a fiction novel enthusiast could indeed become offended by the […]

PEDRO PARAMO This novel was written by Juan Rulfo a pre eminent Mexican writer who was raised in an orphanage. The central vehicle of the novel is that spirits are here with us if we care to listen, many dialogues and situations in the book have characters who are dead and speak from the beyond. […]