novel

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

To the Lighthouse

Explore essential elements of the novel with Clifton Fadiman and actors

Bloomsday map of Dublin, Ireland

What was the first novel ever written?

Frankenstein: An interactive journey

The main characters of Frankenstein

For Students

To the Lighthouse

Read Next

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Britannica's Book Bingo. Take our reading challenge! Books range form greatest, banned, and counterculture.

Britannica’s Book Bingo

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

Ethel Rosenberg arrested in August 1950. Photograph dated Aug. 8, 1950. American civilians executed for espionage. Spies, communists, Julius Rosenberg

Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game

Internet http://www blue screen. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, media news television, crowd opinion protest, In the News 2009, breaking news

Who Invented the Internet?

Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere

Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?

Shadow of a man holding large knife in his hand inside of some dark, spooky buiding

7 of History's Most Notorious Serial Killers

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

novel: Related Content

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Kyrgios, Zhang to lead star-studded Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Hong Kong • May 19, 2025, 11:28 PM ET (South China Morning Post)

Photos and Videos

To the Lighthouse

Explore essential elements of the novel with Clifton Fadiman and actors

What was the first novel ever written?

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Topics

Anti-Booker Prize sea novel Booker Russian Novel Prize Newgate novel sensation novel romance novel dystopian novel prison camp novel proletarian novel graphic novel children’s literature tragedy dramatic literature comedy biography folk literature Modernist literature short story epic romance

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Dominick Dunne

American writer

Joseph Krumgold

American author

Laure Conan

Canadian author

John Waters

American director and author

Esther Forbes

American author

Michael Cunningham

American author

Edith Somerville

Irish writer

Yevgeny Petrov

Soviet humorist

Walter M. Miller, Jr.

American writer

Elizabeth Coatsworth

American author

Mary Hayley Bell

British author and actress

Jonathan Safran Foer

American author

Ilya Ilf

Soviet humorist

Richard Lockridge

American mystery writer

Edmond Goncourt

French author

Junot Díaz

Dominican-born American writer

Charles Bernard Nordhoff

American author

Michael Banim

Irish author

Louis-Alexandre Chatrian

French author

Jules Goncourt

French author

Quiz

Row of colorful books on a bookshelf. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

The Literary World

Portrait of young thinking bearded man student with stack of books on the table before bookshelves in the library

Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz

Nobel prize-winning American author, Pearl S. Buck, at her home, Green Hills Farm, near Perkasie, Pennsylvania, 1962. (Pearl Buck)

Novels and Novelists Quiz

Young woman with glasses reading a book, student

Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz

Textbook chalkboard and apple. Fruit of knowledge. Hompepage blog 2009, History and Society, school education students

The Literary World (Famous Novels)

List

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books