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

Girl Reading On Turquoise Couch

9 American Countercultural Books

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

Discover

airplane in flight (plane, aircraft, flying)

7 Puzzling Plane Disappearances

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Middle East bee locator map

Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?

New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

novel: Related Content

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Last Updated: May 20, 2025

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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

dystopian novel Anti-Booker Prize Booker Russian Novel Prize Newgate novel sensation novel romance novel sea novel proletarian novel prison camp 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

Will Durant

American author

Edmond Goncourt

French author

Carol Ryrie Brink

American author

Jean Tharaud

French writer

Martha Ostenso

Canadian author

William Peter Blatty

American screenwriter and novelist

Louis-Alexandre Chatrian

French author

Anzia Yezierska

American author

Émile Erckmann

French author

James Goldman

American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist

Harold Keith

American author

Jérôme Tharaud

French writer

Harry Leon Wilson

American writer

Concha Espina de Serna

Spanish author

Charles Dudley Warner

American essayist

John Waters

American director and author

Violet Martin

Irish writer

Ilya Ilf

Soviet humorist

Edith Somerville

Irish writer

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