The Four Wheels of the English Novel
Introduction:
The eighteenth century is an important period in the history of English literature because it witnessed the rise and development of the English novel. During this period, writers began to move away from the old tradition of chivalric romances and started writing about ordinary people, real-life situations, society, emotions, and human experiences.
The novel gradually became a popular literary form because it could present the lives of people in a simple and realistic way. Writers experimented with different styles and subjects, giving the novel new directions.
The development of the English novel was not the work of one writer alone. Many writers contributed to its growth. Among them, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollett, and Laurence Sterne are particularly important. These four writers are often described through the interesting idea of the “Four Wheels of the Novel.”
What is a Novel?
The word “novel” means new. The novel was different from the earlier writings of chivalric romances. Instead of mainly focusing on heroic knights, adventures, and imaginary worlds, the novel gradually began to focus on human life and everyday experiences.
A novel is a long work of prose fiction that tells a story about people and events. It usually has a connected sequence of events and deals with different aspects of human experience.
The novel became an effective form for presenting:
Human emotions and thoughts
Individual experiences
Family and relationships
Social life
Moral questions
Love and marriage
Adventure and travel
Social problems
One important feature of the novel was its growing interest in realistic life. Writers began to create characters who were closer to ordinary people rather than traditional heroic figures.
Emergence of the English Novel
The English novel did not appear suddenly. Several social and intellectual changes helped in its development. The presentation identifies a number of important factors behind the rise of the novel.
1. Rise of the Middle Class
The middle class was growing during this period. These people had new interests and experiences, and the novel provided a form of literature that could represent their lives and values.
2. Growth of Literacy
More people were becoming able to read and write. As literacy increased, the number of readers also increased. This created a larger audience for prose fiction.
3. Growth of Periodicals
Periodical writing also helped create the ground for the development of the novel. Newspapers, magazines, and other periodical publications encouraged reading and created a growing literary culture.
4. Empiricism
The influence of empiricism, with its emphasis on experience and observation, encouraged writers to pay greater attention to the real world and human experience.
5. Stage Licensing Act of 1737
The Stage Licensing Act of 1737 is also mentioned among the factors connected with the rise of the novel. Restrictions on drama encouraged literary activity in other forms, including prose fiction.
Daniel Defoe and Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) is regarded in the presentation as the first English novel. Defoe is sometimes called the Father of English Novels.
The novel presents a realistic picture of life and focuses on the commonsense and practical nature of Crusoe rather than traditional heroic qualities. It also presents a middle-class view of the relationship between human beings and nature.
With writers such as Defoe, the English novel began to develop as an important literary form. Later writers took the novel in different directions.
The Four Wheels of the English Novel
The term “Four Wheels of the Novel” was coined by George Saintsbury. The four writers associated with this idea are:
Samuel Richardson
Henry Fielding
Tobias Smollett
Laurence Sterne
Each writer contributed something different to the development of the English novel.
1. Samuel Richardson – Psychology and Emotion
Samuel Richardson (1689–1761) was an English novelist. He is well known for his epistolary novels, which are novels written through letters. His major works are Pamela; Or Virtue Rewarded and Clarissa.
Richardson was interested in the inner feelings and thoughts of his characters. His novels ask questions such as: What does a character think? How does a person feel? How does a person respond to a difficult situation?
Because of this focus on the inner life of characters, Richardson is associated with the development of the psychological and sentimental novel.
Pamela
Pamela tells the story of a young servant girl who faces pressure from her employer, Mr. B. Pamela tries to protect her virtue. The novel discusses morality, virtue, class, gender, sexuality, and marriage.
Clarissa
Clarissa tells the tragic story of Clarissa Harlowe. It deals with family pressure, female virtue, sexuality, social rules, psychological conflict, and individual freedom.
Richardson’s contribution: He brought psychological depth, emotion, and inner experience into the English novel.
2. Henry Fielding – Realism, Humour and Society
Henry Fielding (1707–1754) was a novelist, dramatist, and magistrate. He is presented as the Father of English Novels. His novels focus on action, society, humour, plot, and social observation. He also used the omniscient narrator and realism.
His two major novels are Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones.
Joseph Andrews
Joseph Andrews was initially presented as a comic counterpart to Richardson’s Pamela. Joseph, a male servant, is pursued by his female employer, Lady Booby. Fielding uses humour to make fun of sentimental and moral conventions. The novel also deals with social satire, adventure, characterization, and hypocrisy.
Tom Jones
Tom Jones is Fielding’s masterpiece. It contains adventure, romance, travel, comedy, misunderstandings, and social satire. Through its many characters and events, Fielding presents a broad picture of eighteenth-century English society.
Fielding’s contribution: He brought realism, humour, social observation, and a strong plot to the English novel.
3. Tobias Smollett – Adventure and Travel
Tobias Smollett (1721–1771) was a Scottish novelist, physician, and satirist. He developed the picaresque and adventure tradition in English fiction.
A picaresque novel usually follows the adventures of a central character who travels through different places and meets people from different social classes. Smollett’s novels therefore contain adventure, travel, accidents, humour, satire, and unusual characters.
His major novels include:
Roderick Random
Peregrine Pickle
Humphry Clinker
Roderick Random
Roderick experiences poverty, social injustice, military life, life at sea, and different professions. He also meets people from different social groups.
Peregrine Pickle
The novel follows the adventures of Peregrine Pickle. It contains many eccentric characters and comic situations.
Humphry Clinker
Humphry Clinker is an epistolary novel, but Smollett uses letters differently from Richardson. Different characters write letters, giving different views of people, places, customs, and society.
Smollett’s contribution: He brought adventure, travel, movement, humour, and satire to the English novel.
4. Laurence Sterne – Experimentation and the Human Mind
Laurence Sterne (1713–1768) was an Anglican clergyman and novelist. He was interested in the human mind and the way our thoughts move from one idea to another.
His most famous novel is Tristram Shandy.
Sterne did not follow the traditional way of telling a story. He frequently interrupted his narrative with jokes, digressions, philosophical discussions, stories within stories, and comments to the reader. He also experimented with unusual typography, blank pages, and black pages.
Sterne was also interested in memory and consciousness. He changed the normal relationship between story time and narrative time. A small event could take many pages, while several years could be passed over quickly.
His A Sentimental Journey focuses on travel, emotions, and human relationships.
Sterne’s contribution: He brought experimentation, unusual narrative techniques, and an interest in the human mind to the English novel.
Conclusion
The development of the English novel was a gradual process. Daniel Defoe helped establish realistic prose fiction, while the four important novelists—Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Tobias Smollett, and Laurence Sterne—took the novel in different directions.
We can remember their contributions through the idea of the Four Wheels of the Novel:
Together, these four writers helped the English novel become a richer and more varied literary form. Their different styles and ideas helped the novel move forward, just like four wheels carrying a vehicle on its journey.
