Concetti Chiave
- The costume novel, exemplified by Jane Austen, explores societal roles through characters, manners, and social behavior, often set in upper or middle-class settings.
- Walter Scott's influence lies in his portrayal of history as a product of human actions, using dialect to depict characters from diverse classes, impacting writers like Manzoni.
- Flat characters are easily recognizable and static, while round characters are complex and evolve, enhancing the realism of the narrative with their varied roles.
- Point of view and narrative voice are distinct; the narrative voice is who speaks, while the point of view is who perceives and interprets the story, with potential shifts.
- Short stories emphasize specific episodes with simple plots, featuring an introduction, key incident, unexpected climax, and variable endings, often leaving conflicts unresolved.
The Costume Novel
The novel of manners descibes the codes of conduct of those people who wanted to affirm their role in society. The master of novel of manners is Jane Austen, whose novel are based on the premise that there is a vital relationship between characters, manners and social behaviour. They are usually set in the upper or middle levels of society. Usual is the description of balls, tea party, and relationship influenced by money. Their main themes are marriage, the complicationsof love and friendship. A third person narrator is employed and dialogue plays a central role.
What is the Influence of Walter Scott?
It appeared at the beginning of the 19th century when Napoleonic Wars brought together men from different nations. This awakened national feelings and the search for national identity. The founder of this genre was sir Walter Scott. His task was to get people to realize that history was not just a list of political and religious events, but the product of human decisions. He used dialect to portray real and living characters who belonged to all classes. Manzoni was greatly influenced by Scott but he removed any regional inflections from the language because he aimed at creating a national consciousness.
Flat and Round Characters
Flat characters, which can also be called “types” or “caricature”are easy to recognize because they don’t develop through the story. However it doesn’t means they’re always less important than the round ones because the author use them to create a particular atmosphere.
Round characters are more complex and they ave more than one facet like human being:
° their personality is modified by experience
° they bring the variety of real life within the pages of a book, performing both comic and tragic roles.
An effective example is Elizabeth of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: she is not the same girl the reader met in the first chapter, she is a new woman.
Point of View and Narrative Voice
Another important device to consider s the point of view which the story is told. It is different from the narrative voice:
° the narrative voice belongs to the person who is speaking that can be internal or external
° the point of view regards the person who inside the story sees the facts thinks and judges
°the point of view can vary more often than the narrative voice.
Structure of Short Stories
Short stories rarely have complex plots; the focus is upon a particular episode or situation.
*In the introduction the author usually presents the setting and the characters
*The key note, usually an incident, a crisis or an animal or an object, arouses the reader interest
*The climax come unexpected
The end of the story can vary:
*character’s failure or death
*the reestabilisation of the initial situation
*it can be open, leaving the conflict unresolved.
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the main themes and characteristics of the novel of manners?
- What distinguishes flat characters from round characters in literature?
The novel of manners, exemplified by Jane Austen's works, focuses on the codes of conduct within upper or middle society, highlighting themes such as marriage, love, and friendship. These novels often feature settings like balls and tea parties, with a third-person narrator and dialogue playing central roles.
Flat characters, or "types," are easily recognizable and do not develop throughout the story, serving to create atmosphere. In contrast, round characters are complex, evolving through experiences, and bring the diversity of real life to the narrative, as seen in Elizabeth from Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
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