1. The Novel
Floriana Camarda IV B

2. The novel: an expression of the society
Historical period
The rise of a new class
A new genre : the novel
The importance of the novel nowadays

3. The augustan age
The first half of 18th is best known as the Augustan Age . This indicates its classical outlook related to the golden age of Roman Empire , under the emperor Augustus . The British ruling class looked upon themselves as the true heir of the Roman Empire, for this reason Neoclassicism became a style of life and it was reflected in poetry , painting and architecture .

4. This period was mainly characterized by:
A belief in Reason as able of imposing order on an otherwise chaotic world and considered as an instrument to free man from fears and prejudices.
Augustans represented Nature as a balanced composition of objects . Nature was civilized by man.
Upper-class women acquired importance(they took part in debates)
The 18th century was also the age of the Grand Tour , the journey across Europe that well educated young men and women used to take for pleasure and instruction.
The Augustan Age saw the diffusion of newspapers and magazines and the rise of novel ,considered instruments of knowledge for middle-class people.
DAVID ALLAN

5. The middle class
The middle class had been increasing in importance since the 16th century , and after the Glorious Revolution it merged into aristocracy. There was no violent conflict between the two classes. Rich tradesmen bought estates and , with them , seats in Parliament , while their sons and daughters married into aristocracy . In the 18th century this class , made up of traders , merchants , bankers, grew up in power and prestige thanks to the development of foreign and colonial trade. The great Augustan artists such as Alexander Pope and William Hogarth were critical about the rise of the middle class, with its bad taste and cult of money . For this new class was important improving their manners and language, being elegant and learning the strict rules of behaviour . In fact , lacked a cultural background , they tried to acquire it from the pages of newspapers and magazines and attending clubs and coffee- houses where they discussed current events. An other important instrument of knowledge was the novel.

6. The novel
The most innovative genre in 18th century was the novel , for this reason this period was also called The Age of Prose . A novel is a fictitious prose narrative presenting a picture of real life . The need of realism represents the greatest difference between 18th century novels and the prose romances of Middle Ages and Renaissance’s romances . The novel satisfied the need of middle class which demanded original stories related to ordinary experiences . The new reading public wanted to read stories which reflected their own interests and problems with characters they could more or less identify with.

7. The characters were people who lived in a world they shared with their readers: Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)is a middle-class hero , full of commercial wisdom and able to survive using only his physical and mental resources. He is the example of modern tradesman.
The idea of travelling is also central in Jonathan Swift’s utopian fiction , Gulliver’s travels .Though his travels are through a surrealistic world, this book reflects the desire of 18th century British men an women travelling physically and mentally.
Women were often the heroines of novels(Pamela by Samuel Richardson) and also avid readers of them . In fact they had more spare time to spend in reading . The novel was considered a brief escape from the prison of domesticity.

8. The importance of the novel nowadays
After the 18th century , the novel continued to satisfy the society’s needs and at the same time to represent a sort of its portrait .The novel , in fact , has always adapted itself to the several necessities of a society in continuous evolution . We often affirm that :“nowadays the writing has been gradually substituted by images ” . I don’t think so . I think that the novel still covers an important role , not only for our instruction . For example , the wide diffusion of fantasy and of magical realism(in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting ) genre , testifies the need to escape from the problems of our world and the desire to discover a better and more exciting life , right what was searched by middle-class’ women in 18th century . So in the end the novel was . is and will always be the better expression of the society.

9. Images:
2nd slide: Will James monument , William Hogarth-Marriage à la Mode (the Marriage Contract),Jean-Honoré Fragonard –A Young Girl Reading;
3rd slide : Will James monument;
4th slide : painting by David Allan;
5th slide :William Hogarth- The Rake’s Progress (1-2);
6th slide :A portable Bookstall (from a print );
7th slide : Joseph Highmore (Pamela);