A famous author once claimed that all his books were psychological novels. He argued that they were lengthy narratives told through the eyes and words of characters and if these characters were credible the novel must be psychological at least in the sense that it depicted credible human behavior.
However, from the perspective of critics, and in the light of the millions of works published, it is necessary to identify different genres. When a novel exhibits a number of well recognized features it can be classified as a particular type that follows one identifiable type. Classifying books in genres helps individual readers recognize genres and organize the complex field of literature.
The authors of some fictional works have the intention to illustrate through their stories the ways that human beings behave. If they succeed in doing that they can be said to have written psychological novels. Such success will only be attained if the narrative unfolds in a way that readers recognize as a demonstration of real life even though it is fictional.
Psychologists who have been trained in scientific method may read fictional works and be struck by the truth of what is reflected in the fiction about human behavior. However the scientist and the novelist will have arrived at the same end point by following different paths. The one has extrapolated from experiments and the other has used his imagination.
Imagination is essential in all works of fiction. Jane Austen imagines young men and women meeting, having difficulties and overcoming them. Her characters are very true to life and one can recognize their types hundreds of years after the story was first told. But Austen's intention is primarily to tell a tale of romance.
An adventure novel might focus on action to such an extent that the behavior of characters in the narrative becomes a mere prop for what is to happen next. They cannot be termed psychological novels because the author's intention is not to human explore behavior but to spin an entertaining tale. As a result the characters do not need to be rounded and complex. In fact, if the characterization is too complex this can detract from the pace that an adventure novel needs.
Every author must tell his story in a chosen way and from a particular point of view. The 'stream of consciousness' method is suitable for demonstrating how a mind works. A narrative unfolds in the form of an individual's apprehension of his world as he goes about the business of his life. The author attempts to exclude himself entirely from the tale and tell it as though everything is seen fro a protagonists point of view.
The suspense thriller might be the kind of book that combines action and insight. A gripping narrative unfolds as a reader follows the workings of a mind that is possibly deranged or obsessive. Action moves inexorably to a climax that occurs against a setting of human behavior.
The best novels in any literary canon succeed in entertaining and instructing. In the case of psychological novels the entertainment is provided in depicting, through a fresh and interesting tale, exactly how human behavior is. Such entertainment is instructive and so the purpose of literature, as laid out by experts through the ages, is achieved.
However, from the perspective of critics, and in the light of the millions of works published, it is necessary to identify different genres. When a novel exhibits a number of well recognized features it can be classified as a particular type that follows one identifiable type. Classifying books in genres helps individual readers recognize genres and organize the complex field of literature.
The authors of some fictional works have the intention to illustrate through their stories the ways that human beings behave. If they succeed in doing that they can be said to have written psychological novels. Such success will only be attained if the narrative unfolds in a way that readers recognize as a demonstration of real life even though it is fictional.
Psychologists who have been trained in scientific method may read fictional works and be struck by the truth of what is reflected in the fiction about human behavior. However the scientist and the novelist will have arrived at the same end point by following different paths. The one has extrapolated from experiments and the other has used his imagination.
Imagination is essential in all works of fiction. Jane Austen imagines young men and women meeting, having difficulties and overcoming them. Her characters are very true to life and one can recognize their types hundreds of years after the story was first told. But Austen's intention is primarily to tell a tale of romance.
An adventure novel might focus on action to such an extent that the behavior of characters in the narrative becomes a mere prop for what is to happen next. They cannot be termed psychological novels because the author's intention is not to human explore behavior but to spin an entertaining tale. As a result the characters do not need to be rounded and complex. In fact, if the characterization is too complex this can detract from the pace that an adventure novel needs.
Every author must tell his story in a chosen way and from a particular point of view. The 'stream of consciousness' method is suitable for demonstrating how a mind works. A narrative unfolds in the form of an individual's apprehension of his world as he goes about the business of his life. The author attempts to exclude himself entirely from the tale and tell it as though everything is seen fro a protagonists point of view.
The suspense thriller might be the kind of book that combines action and insight. A gripping narrative unfolds as a reader follows the workings of a mind that is possibly deranged or obsessive. Action moves inexorably to a climax that occurs against a setting of human behavior.
The best novels in any literary canon succeed in entertaining and instructing. In the case of psychological novels the entertainment is provided in depicting, through a fresh and interesting tale, exactly how human behavior is. Such entertainment is instructive and so the purpose of literature, as laid out by experts through the ages, is achieved.
About the Author:
The homepage at www.booksandlinks.com offers info on psychological novels that people require for all their reading needs. For more details check out http://www.booksandlinks.com today.