Studying the Novel

by Jeremy Hawthorn

This revised, expanded and updated fifth edition of this widely used introduction to the novel, defines the basic terminology of literary critics and explains the difference between terms such as "story" vs. "plot" or "symbol" vs. "image" and explores essential concepts and approaches such as what narrative theorists mean by "frequency" and "distance" and "realism", "modernism" and "postmodernism". New to this edition is a section on cyberfiction, fuller coverage of postmodernism and the novella and tips for writing essays and answering exam questions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, Literary Criticism, Writing, Reference, Books About Books

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Miss Ravi · Rating 3 out of 5]

فتح‌الله بی‌نیاز یک لیست صدتایی داده از کتا‌ب‌هایی که برای «منتقد شدن» باید خواند و این کتاب هم توی آن لیست است. من البته نمی‌خواهم منتقد باشم اما کتاب برایم مفیدتر از «جنبه‌های رمان» از فورستر بود. شاید به جهت کاربردی‌تر بودن مباحث، هر چند که مولف چند جایی به فورستر ارجاع داده بود.

[Raphael Lysander · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a simple and straightforward book, but stiff and cold nevertheless. A lot has changed after the first edition which received tremendous criticism for its definition of the novel, and the author added a lot of unnecessary and out of context passages to sound more feminist and progressive!

[Somayya Tabsho · Rating 4 out of 5]

بدأت فكرة قراءتي للرواية منذ قررت أن أجعل قراءاتي منهجية نوعا ما
وفق سياق يخدم قراءاتي السابقة والتالية
ويخدم هدفي الأساسي من فعل القراءة
ثم وجدته في فيتامين "دراسة الرواية" كتاب ثنائي اللغة من ثمانين صفحة تقريبا
قلبت في عناوينه فوجدتها "عز الطلب"
تاريخ الرواية
أنواع الرواية
تحليل الرواية
دراسة الرواية عمليا
طرق نقدية لفهم الرواية
فلم أتردد ولا للحظة باستعارته
رغم قراءتي البطيئة "المتأنية كما أحب أن أسميها" على مدار الشهر
أستطيع أن أقول أن الروايات التي سأقرأها بعد قراءة هذا الكتاب ستكون قراءتي وتحليلي ونقدي لها مختلف عما قرأته قبلا
أسلوب بسيط مفعم بالكثير من الأمثلة الموضحة لكل المفردات التي قد تبدو غريبة وصعبة فيما يخص تحليل الرواية
الترجمة غير موفقة ببعض الأماكن
أنقذني أنها ثنائية اللغة بنسختي
كتاب يدرس

[Niousha mokhtari · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب از الف تا ي "رمان" و تمام وابسته هايش رو توضيح داد، يه كتاب با نگاهي انتقادي، قطعي سبك و كم حجم، بياني ساده و قلمي روان، همراه با ارجاعات بسيار كه به هرچه قابل فهم تر كردن متن كمك مي كند،
تمامي آن چيزي كه نويسنده، يا مترجم رمان احتياج دارد و حتي منتقد،
ابتدا از ريشه ي واژه شروع شد به تاريخچه ي رمان رسيد بعد انواع آن بررسي شد و ساختار خود رمان، در انتها شيوه هاي نقد و انواع روش هاي نقد داستان

[Lina]

The writer is a complete and utter twat, but the information in the book is actually pretty good. I wouldn't exactly recommend it, but it's not a hard book to get through.

[Hannah]

so thrilling

[Michael Arnold · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is full of very useful information, and it's written in a clear and very easy-to-understand way. However, it doesn't go into a great amount of detail, I know brevity is the soul of wit and all but this book could be a little more in depth with the things it talks about. However, as an INTRODUCTION to studying the novel, this book is to be honest pretty good. You could certainly do a lot worse! But as a work explaining how to be a good reader it is functional but pretty sparse.

It's also unbelievably arid and dry, and structured bizarrely poorly. I don't really know Jeremy Hawthorn's work or reputation (I can't help but notice another reviewer on this site doesn't think much of him as a person, for no reason I could find after googling his name), but he doesn't settle a reader into a new idea as well as he could. The introduction to the fifth edition is very oddly written, seeming to suggest the reader should already be familiar with previous editions of this book - and then the introduction sets up a later chapter, jumping into a discussion about Structuralism and the difference between Synchronic readings and Diachronic readings of a text. This is then followed by the first chapter, which attempts to define the word 'novel' and the history of the novel as a concept. A better structure would help this book immensely - maybe this is fixed with more recent editions?

EDIT: I see the reviewer who called Jeremy Hawthorn a 'twat' had him respond to her review, which I find really funny!

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

14 Nov - Didn't read all of this, just bits and pieces, but found it very useful for my English degree.

16 Dec - Have been reading more bits of this over the past few weeks and I'm finding it much more useful and enjoyable as a book, so I've boosted the rating by another star.

[Ellen Cheetham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful. Often dip into it still.

[Nafisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for students of literature, especially for those who prefer to study prose. It is clear and well-organised and provides practical advice (on writing essays/ exam questions) as well as basic theoretical background to give you essential foundational knowledge of the novel form.
Much of the content I had to learn the long, hard way through my BA and MA- so the content definitely corresponds to what professors/ tutors are looking for. It is also now up to date in its debates about technology, which makes it even more useful. It is not a heavy/ dull read as some textbooks tend to be, which makes it even more accessible and beneficial.
I only wish I had read this a few years ago, but this edition wasn't available until last year anyway.

A great reference book for sure.

[Jana Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: this review corresponds to the 8th edition (not the 7th), forthcoming in Spring 2022.

An outstanding overview of key issues in prose fiction, Studying the Novel covers a wide range of technical information with an approachable blend of clarity, sophistication, and concision.
Examples from across centuries and cultures include important canonical works along with an expanded presentation of voices and concepts in World Literature and popular genres. Hawthorn’s efficient survey of historical, formal, and critical approaches is especially useful for teaching, and the material on versions, adaptations, and translations, as well as the challenges and opportunities of digital media, provide students with a lexicon to articulate the impact of shifting generic grounds. This is a teaching resource I’ll be turning to time and again.

[Shi2chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice introductory book that covers different types of novels, analyzing fiction, tips on studying novels, and few approaches to criticism.
It is short so you should not expect everything to be easy to understand.
One other reason for this book being this short is the author's intention of leaving somethings out but you will get an explanation of what has been left out.
I would recommend taking notes while reading this book it would make it more understandable.
Having browsed through perrine's literature before reading this book is my recommendation.

[Gaynor 💜 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction for anyone in their first year as an English undergraduate. It covers all the basics in an accessible way with clear definitions and signposts for further reading. A book I will dip into again as I further my studies.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to novel

[Hans Wiegand · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title states: an introduction to studying the novel as a work of art.

[Magnus Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library yesterday afternoon and read it from cover-to-cover overnight. It's an excellent overview of the academic territory with surprisingly contemporary references - no offence meant to the author: it just looked like a drier, older book on the shelf! Hawthorn's obviously gone to considerable effort to rethink and rewrite sections each time the book is released. I read the fourth edition - I see that it's now out in a fifth one (2005). Wish that I'd read it before going to university - it even has a succinct summary of all the new fangled critical positions at the back. Recommended.

[Pol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise and easy read, if a bit bare bones. This serves well as a basic introduction to the novel but I was hoping for a bit more detail. The sections were arranged rather haphazardly for my taste though. Also I had a brief look at the fifth edition and it seems Hawthorn has taken out bits and pieces here and there - bits and pieces which were perfectly alright and should've remained. Not sure the replacement of the critical commonplace term 'focalisation' with 'perspective' is a good idea either – not even a note that the former is a critical commonplace.

[Sylvia Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone studying a literature degree. I'll be reading it again for my dissertation. The whole 'Studying...' Series is brilliant. Easy to read and really adaptable. It took me a while to read with many pauses due to other reading and studying but I've used it in research and training. Brilliant.

[K Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Very useful for both study and interest. Would definitely recommend!

[Sabata · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was quite helpful & fairly an easy read. Certainly took me back to basics!

[Aaliyah Belgrave]

good

[Tablo]

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[Just This · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful and clear.