The Rise of the English Novel: Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding’s Contributions
Keywords:
Bunyan, Defoe, Epistolary novel, Fielding, Origin of the novel, Picaresque tradition, Rise of the middle class, Sterne.Abstract
This paper examines the early formation of the English novel in the eighteenth
century by analyzing the significant roles played by Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson,
and Henry Fielding. These writers laid the groundwork for a new literary genre,
shaping its narrative techniques, thematic concerns, and stylistic features. Defoe
contributed a sense of realism rooted in everyday life and practical experience,
Richardson deepened the novel’s emotional and psychological dimensions through the
epistolary style, and Fielding broadened its scope with his comic narrative voice and
sharp social commentary. Collectively, their innovations marked a major transition in
English literature from classical forms like the romance and epic to a more realistic,
character-centered, and socially reflective type of prose.
References
1. Defoe, Daniel (1719). Robinson Crusoe. Widely recognized as one of the earliest
examples of the English novel and a foundational work of realistic fiction.
2. Defoe, Daniel (1722). Moll Flanders. A significant novel that highlights themes of
morality, survival, and social mobility in 18th-century England.
3. Richardson, Samuel (1740). Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded. A pioneering epistolary
novel that introduced psychological depth and intimate character perspective.
4. Richardson, Samuel (1748). Clarissa. Considered one of the longest and most
influential novels in English literature, exploring moral conflict and emotional
complexity.
5. Fielding, Henry (1749). The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. A comic-epic novel
that expanded narrative structure and offered sharp social commentary.
