Aspects of the Novel is the publication of a series of lectures on the English language novel, delivered by E. M.

Forster at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1927. Using examples of classic works by many of the worlds greatest writers, he discusses seven aspects he deems universal to the novel: story, characters, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. Forster dismisses the method of examining the novel as a historical development, in preference to an image of all novelists throughout history writing simultaneously, side by side. He first establishes that, if nothing else, a novel is a story that takes place over a period of time. He stresses the importance of character, maintaining that both flat and round characters may be included in the successful novel. He regards the necessity of plot, which creates the effect of suspense, as a problem by which character is frequently sacrificed in the service of providing an ending to the novel. Fantasy and prophecy, which provide a sense of the universal, or spiritual, Forster regards as central aspects of the great novel. Finally, he dismisses the value of pattern, by which a narrative may be structured, as another aspect that frequently sacrifices the vitality of character. Drawing on the metaphor of music, Forster concludes that rhythm, which he defines as repetition plus variation, allows for an aesthetically pleasing structure to emerge from the novel, while maintaining the integrity of character and the open-ended quality that gives novels a feeling of expansiveness.

Aspects of the Novel Summary

Introduction In an introductory chapter, Forster establishes the ground rules for his discussion of the English novel. He defines the novel simply according to M. Abel Chevalley in Le Roman Anglais de notre temps, as a fiction in prose of a certain extent. He goes on to define English literature as literature written in the English language, regardless of the geographic location or origin of the author. Most importantly, Forster makes clear that this discussion will not be concerned with historical matters, such as chronology, periodization, or development of the novel. He makes clear that time, all the way through, is to be our enemy. Rather, he wishes to imagine the worlds great novelists from throughout history sitting side by side in a circle, in a sort of British Museum reading roomall writing their novels simultaneously. Finally, he acknowledges the intended ambiguity of the phrase aspects of the novel to indicate an open-ended discussion in which he will cover seven of these aspects: story, characters, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. The Story In a chapter on The Story, Forster begins with the assertion that the novel, in its most basic definition, tells a story. He goes on to say that a story must be built around suspensethe question of what happens next? He thus defines the story as a narrative of events arranged in their time sequence. Forster adds that a good novel must include a sense of value in the story. He then discusses The Antiquary, by Sir Walter Scott, as an example of a novel that is built on a series of events that narrate what happens next. However, he criticizes The Antiquaryas a novel that adheres to a sequence of events but has no sense of value in the story. Forster refers to Russian novelist Tolstoys War and Peace as an example that includes value in a narrative of events that unfold over time. He brings up the American writer Gertrude Stein as an example of a novelist who has attempted to abolish time from the novel, leaving only value. However, he declares this a failure that results in nonsense. Characters In two chapters entitled People, Forster discusses characterization in the novel. He describes five main facts of human life, which include birth, food, sleep, love, and death, and then compares these five activities as experienced by real people (homo sapiens) to these activities as enacted by characters in novels (homo fictus). He goes on to discuss the character of Moll Flanders, in the novel by Defoe of the same title. Forster focuses on Moll Flanders as a novel in which the form is derived from the development of the main character.... Complete Aspects of the Novel Summary
Source: Nonfiction Classics for Students, 2012 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.