Some Features of the Novel

1. A long narrative written in prose which gives a panoramic view of a culture, society, social class, or historical moment.
2. A narrative whose hero is neither epic, tragic, comic, nor romantic (or a bit of all of these). Rather s/he is realistic and alienated. (The values of the culture do not mesh with those of the hero.) The novel is a "character study" of the hero and of those around him or her.
3. Portrays a world which is "disillusioned" or "disenchanted," governed by natural and human, rather than supernatural forces.
4. The novel is "dialogic," meaning:

1. it has no form of its own, but constructs itself by "cannibalizing" other forms, as the Genji does with poetry and letters, or the Quixote with the romance.
2. it has no particular style or language which is considered appropriate, but portrays a variety of discourses, both social and literary. The novel reproduces the multiple languages of the real world.

5. Because of its dialogism, and unlike most other literary forms, the novel is open-ended, incomplete, and constantly evolving.