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Definition and types of Novel

Novel is a long narrative written in a prose form
Oxford dictionary defines novel as “ Fictitious prose narrative of considerable length in which characters and actions are representative of real life and are portrayed in the plot of more or less complexity.
A novel is a lengthy, fictional narrative written in prose, typically focusing on the development of characters, an engaging plot structure, and a coherent theme.
As a literary work, it provides readers with a window into the human experience, often exploring the complexities of emotions, relationships, and societal issues.

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Types of Novel

Satirical Novel
Historical Novel
Epistolary Novel
Sentimental Novel
Psychological Novel
Gothic Fiction
Science Fiction
Picaresque or Coming of age

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Satirical Novel

Satire in literature is a type of social criticism. Writers use dramatization, irony, and other devices to show fun of a particular leader, a social custom or tradition, or any other wide spread social figure or practice that they want to comment on and call into question.
A work that uses ridicule, humor, and wit to criticize and provoke change in human nature and institutions.
Satire Novels are loosely defined as art that ridicules a specific topic in order to provoke readers into changing their opinion of it. By attacking what they see as human recklessness, satirists usually imply their own opinions on how the thing being attacked can be improved.

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Types of Satires

Horatian.
Juvenalian
Menippean.
Horatian Satire
Horatian satire is comic and offers light social commentary. It is meant to poke fun at a person or situation in an entertaining way. This kind of satire rarely includes personal attacks, but rather aims to promote morals and teach lessons.
Eg: Gulliver’s Travels, written by Jonathan Swift in the eighteenth century

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Types of Satire

Juvenalian Satire

Juvenalian satires are quiet dark, rather than comedic and It is meant to speak truth to power. This type of satire is less kind towards its subject than Horatian. In this kind we can really see the writer’s objections and their call for change.

Eg: Animal Farm written by George Orwell in 1945

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Types of Satire

Menippean Satire

Menippean satire project moral judgment on a particular belief, such as extremism or racism. It can resemble both Horatian and Juvenalian satire as it depicts both comedy and the dark side. However this type of satire is not that much rude as Juvenalian satire, Menippean satirists often target what they see as harmful attitudes, such as racism, sexism, or just plain arrogance.

Eg: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll

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Other Examples

1. Dorothy Parker, -“A Telephone Call”

Parker’s short story is a satirical take on love and dating. It reads as an urgent apology with the narrator, seemingly a young woman, revealing her insecurities as she begs God for her boyfriend to call her. Her boyfriend said he would call at 5:00, but it’s now 7:10 and she hasn’t heard from him. Sitting ,starting at the phone, the narrator slowly goes into panic mode and reviews virtually every second of her last encounter with her boyfriend, trying to see if she missed some sign or indicator that he was no longer interested in her. She hesitates between declaring her love for him and never wanting to see him again, but by the end, she’s bargaining with God to make her boyfriend call her.

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2. Joseph Heller -“Catch -22”�

Catch-22 takes place during second world war and charts the exploits of American antihero Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier in the Air Force. Feeling allegiance to neither nation nor principles, Yossarian spends much of the war angry that his life is constantly in danger. He fakes multiple illnesses to try to avoid battle, and the memory of a dead fellow soldier, Snowden, haunts him. Situations, ranging from the heartbreaking to the ludicrous, challenge Yossarian at every turn until he finally refuses to fly any further missions. The novel satirizes war, religion, bureaucracy, idealism, human suffering, and wartime politics.

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3. Bret Easton Ellis-” American Psycho”

Ellis’s novel is set in 1980s New York City, where investment banker Patrick Bateman lives a secret life as a serial killer. He moves seamlessly between the daily routine of work, nightclubbing, snorting cocaine, spending time with his fiancée, and committing murders in the dark of night. Bateman’s grip on crumbles as the story progresses, but he ultimately takes no responsibility for the killings, is never held accountable, and ends up back with his friends in a Manhattan nightclub. Through Bateman, Ellis satirizes yuppie culture, Wall Street ruthlessness, and ‘80s-era excess.