The rise of the novel

The rise of the novel

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Mind map

Realistic

Utopian novel

The rise of the novel

Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's travels

• born of english parents in Ireland;
• one of the most influential writers of the Augustan Age
• through his pamphlets in defence of the Irish, he became a sort of national hero;
• brillant satirist

• it mixes the fantastic and the real;
• sharp satire
• it is set in fantastic islands inhabitated by strange races;
• metaphor of society;

More in depth

Utopian novel

This genre went back to classical literature and the name refers to Thomas More's work, Utopia. This modern genre describes imaginery worlds as a counterpart of actual imperfect society. However, they are described with realistic details as geography, etc... The major exponent of this genre is: Jonathan Swift

Main features

• a great stress on contemporary reality;
• chronological sequence of events;
• realistic details;
• the novelty of the stories;
• the language is plain, factual, quite similar to the one of newspaper and magazines;

Gulliver's travel

Book 2

Book 4

Book 1

Book 3

With the voyage to laputa, Swift makes a more direct satire of England and science.

The gigantic size of the Brobdingng allows Gulliver to see the imperfection of men.

The Lilliputians exemplify the pettines and meanness of our world.

Here Gulliver faces the degraded humaity ofYahoos, similar to men, and the superior intelligence of the Wise Horses.

Realistic novels satisfied the needs of the new middle-class, which demanded original stories related to ordinary experiences. They are filled with praise of virtues, like temperance, economy, sobriety and modesty.

Daniel Defoe

daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe was born in 1660 in London. During his life, he kept changing jobs and dreaming up projects to become a respected gentleman. His main work is: Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe

Style

• First-person narrator;

• Enhanced with realism;
• Fake autobiography;

Mercantil hero

He is the celebration of the mercantil spirit, turning deserted areas into lucrative tradeposts.

Archetypal colonist

He reflects the archetypal of modern colonist, who gives:

• names
• european clothes
• new languages
• new religion
• technical superiority

My name is robinson crusoe

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