Project Gutenberg 2004-06-25 Public domain in the USA. 297 Burton, Richard 1861 1940 Burton, Richard Eugene Masters of the English Novel: A Study of Principles and Personalities Fiction and the novel -- Eighteenth century beginnings: Richardson -- Eighteenth century beginnings: Fielding -- Developments: Smollett, Sterne and others -- Realism: Jane Austen -- Modern romanticism: Scott -- French influence -- Dickens -- Thackeray -- George Eliot -- Trollope and others -- Hardy and Meredith -- Stevenson -- The American contribution. "Masters of the English Novel: A Study of Principles and Personalities" by Richard Burton is a scholarly examination of the development of the English novel, likely written in the late 19th century. The book analyzes the works and influences of key novelists from the 18th century to the period surrounding its writing, highlighting the evolution of narrative forms, character development, and societal themes that define English fiction. The opening of the book introduces the author's critical perspective on the nature of fiction and its evolution into the modern novel. Burton discusses how the term "novel" emerged as a distinct literary form centered around realistic representations of contemporary society, diverging from earlier, more fantastical stories. He explains the critical role of early novelists such as Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding, whose contrasting styles set the foundation for future literature, establishing character analysis and social commentary as significant elements of the narrative. Burton underscores the impact of societal changes on the novel's development, positioning it as a reflective medium of human experience and emphasizing its importance in modern literary education. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 51.1 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en English fiction -- History and criticism PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: British Literature 514033 2025-08-05T16:40:08.422411 text/html 513853 513854 2024-11-06T04:28:14.901048 2023-10-06T06:27:41.173435 text/html text/html 303020 2025-08-05T16:40:16.644376 application/epub+zip 309647 2025-08-05T16:40:11.955437 application/epub+zip 264841 2025-08-05T16:40:10.736422 application/epub+zip 618807 2025-08-05T16:40:20.608362 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 593895 2025-08-05T16:40:15.849431 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 463191 2022-09-06T22:12:18.181698 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 493416 2025-08-05T16:40:08.072404 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 473530 2024-10-28T19:49:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16785 2025-08-05T16:40:20.734358 application/rdf+xml 24907 2025-08-05T16:40:11.240421 image/jpeg 4604 2025-08-05T16:40:10.981385 image/jpeg 299871 2025-08-05T16:40:08.464423 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog