Four Wheels of English Novel
The Four Wheels of the English Novel In the 18th century, the English novel took its true shape. Literary critics often call these four writers the “Four Wheels of the English Novel” because each one introduced a new direction , just like four wheels move a vehicle forward. 1. Samuel Richardson (1689–1761) Father of the Epistolary and Psychological Novel Why is he important? Richardson was the first novelist to explore the inner mind of characters. He wrote novels in the form of letters . This is called an epistolary novel . Through letters, he showed characters’ personal feelings, emotions, and struggles. His Style Emotional Moral and instructive Focused on female characters and their virtue Slow, detailed, and sensitive writing Major Works Pamela (1740) – A story of a young maid who resists her master’s advances and is rewarded for her virtue. Clarissa (1748) – A long, tragic novel about a woman's fight for dig...