Project Gutenberg 2016-01-23 Public domain in the USA. 168 Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion) 1854 1909 Crawford, Francis Marion 11019445 The Novel; what it is Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) "The Novel; what it is" by F. Marion Crawford is a critical essay on the form and essence of the novel, written in the late 19th century. This book falls within the genre of literary criticism and serves as an exploration of what constitutes a novel, its purpose, and its relationship with other forms of writing. Likely composed during the late Victorian era, Crawford's work engages in a broader conversation about the evolving landscape of literature and the role of novelists in society. In this essay, Crawford defines the novel as an "intellectual artistic luxury," asserting that its primary function is to entertain and engage readers rather than preach or instruct them on moral or social issues. He critiques the trend of "purpose-novels," which attempt to impart moral lessons or address social issues, arguing that this undermines the inherent value of fiction as a means of escapism and enjoyment. Throughout the text, Crawford contrasts realism and romance in literature and advocates for a balanced approach that fosters both engaging storytelling and deep emotional resonance. The essay ultimately reflects on the anxieties and challenges faced by novelists in a rapidly modernizing world, urging them to create works that resonate with the complexities of human experience without falling into didacticism. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 54.4 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Fiction PN Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches 112338 2025-07-20T12:02:54.767154 text/html 89999 2024-10-22T23:46:24 text/html 488262 2025-07-20T12:02:57.139187 application/epub+zip 487761 2025-07-20T12:02:55.254205 application/epub+zip 101967 2025-07-20T12:02:54.998164 application/epub+zip 536347 2025-07-20T12:02:58.781190 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 523990 2025-07-20T12:02:56.857170 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 137542 2022-09-23T08:04:15.821008 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 100883 2025-07-20T12:02:54.471174 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 80991 2024-10-22T23:46:24 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16628 2025-07-20T12:02:58.907167 application/rdf+xml 17750 2025-07-20T12:02:55.059159 image/jpeg 2376 2025-07-20T12:02:55.029156 image/jpeg 476658 2025-07-20T12:02:54.787174 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 en.wikipedia