The Future of the Novel

Everett, Joanne

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The Future of the Novel

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Everett, Joanne (2021) The Future of the Novel. PhD thesis, University of Gloucestershire. doi:10.46289/RUHJ1968

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15514 Everett, Joanne (2021) The Future of the Novel.pdf - Accepted Version
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Abstract

Claims of the novel’s death have arisen several times in the literary and journalistic spheres for nearly a century now, becoming an ongoing topic of debate. The main influence for this study came in the form of four articles published in The Guardian newspaper between May 2014 and March 2018, in which novelist and journalist Will Self revives and then develops the historic argument of the novel’s death. It was Self’s insistence over the novel’s death that prompted a need to assess whether there was any truth in what he was saying, and more importantly if it could be believed that there is a future for the novel as a popular literary medium for both writers and readers. Self’s claims prompted the formulation of this study’s overarching research question, which asks whether there is any truth in his statements that the novel is dead or indeed has no future. Up until now there has not been an extensive academic study focused solely on the novel’s death or possible future, and as such it seemed the right time to conduct a more in-depth study into these claims. The three main research aims focus the attentions of the study towards the popularity of novels of a high literary standard in contemporary society, how digital technology has impacted on the novel, and making an assessment of the current health of the British novel reading public in terms of numbers of readers. This thesis aims to develop a deeper understanding of what is meant when we speak of the death of the novel, assess whether there is today any truth in these claims from a perspective of the size of its audience and levels of production, and set down informed ideas as to a likely future for the novel. The study also reports on instances that demonstrate the novel is still very much alive today, whilst equally addressing societal changes that could potentially threaten the novel’s future as a popular literary medium, something that has not been fully addressed in historic arguments of the novel’s death. The main conclusion that has come out of this research is that the novel is currently in a healthy state in terms of size of audience and sales, and there are no signposts to suggest it will not remain so for the foreseeable future. This study also concludes that modern digital technology is not necessarily having a negative impact on the novel’s health in terms of numbers of readers, and rather there are more instances to demonstrate how digital technology can be a positive influence in terms of drawing a wider audience and raising the novel’s profile. Adding to this, there is more specifically an argument that the literary novel, which is a particular focus of Self’s arguments, is still very much alive, but with a shift towards a merging of literary with genre or popular fiction that will capture as wide an audience as possible.

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Thesis (PhD)

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