The novel as a literary form: structure, conventions, and development. Specific canonical works retain Classics.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Who wrote the novel The Outsiders?
Hinton wrote the novel while still in high school, drawing on the social divisions she saw among teenagers.
Which teenager narrates the novel The Outsiders?
Ponyboy lives with his older brothers, Darry and Sodapop, after their parents die.
In The Outsiders, Ponyboy recites "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by which poet?
Johnny's dying advice to "stay gold" asks Ponyboy to hold on to the innocence celebrated in Frost's poem.
In The Outsiders, what are the wealthy rivals of the Greasers called?
Cherry Valance, a Soc, bonds with Ponyboy over sunsets, helping him see that rival groups can share the same pleasures.
Who wrote To the Lighthouse, a novel that moves among characters' inner thoughts?
Woolf gives private impressions more space than outward action, allowing a family visit to carry several different meanings.
In The Girl on the Train, what interferes with Rachel's memory of events?
Rachel must reconstruct missing hours while other people offer accounts that she cannot easily check.
Which Hermann Hesse novel follows a young man's search for spiritual understanding in India?
Siddhartha learns from direct experience rather than accepting any single teacher's doctrine.
Who wrote the picaresque novel The Adventures of Roderick Random?
Smollett drew on his experience as a naval surgeon’s mate for the novel’s harsh scenes of life at sea.
In The Turn of the Screw, whose manuscript supplies the main ghost story?
A fireside gathering introduces the manuscript, placing a layer of storytelling between readers and the reported ghosts.
Which Kazuo Ishiguro novel has butler Stevens reassess his service to Lord Darlington?
Stevens's pride in professional duty makes it hard for him to admit the personal and political costs of his loyalty.