The novel originated in the early 18th
century after the Italian word "novella", which was used for stories
in the medieval period. Its identity has evolved and now a work of prose fiction is at least 50,000 words. Novels focus on
character development more than plot. In any genre, it is the study of the
human psyche.
The ancestors of the novel were Elizabethan prose
fiction and French heroic romances, which were long narratives about
contemporary characters who behaved nobly. The novel came into popular
awareness due to a growing middle class with more leisure
time to read and money to buy books. Public interest in the human character
led to the popularity of autobiographies, biographies, journals, diaries and
memoirs. The early English novels concerned themselves with complex,
middle-class characters struggling with their morality and circumstances.
