Death of the novel

The death of the novel is the common name for the theoretical discussion of the declining importance of the novel as literary form. Many 20th century authors entered into the debate, often sharing their ideas in their own fiction and non-fiction writings.

The novel was well-defined by the 19th century. In the 20th century, however, many writers began to rebel against the traditional structures imposed by this form. This reaction against the novel caused some literary theorists to question the relevancy of the novel and even to predict its 'death.'

Some of the earliest proponents of the "death of the novel" were José Ortega y Gasset, who wrote his Decline of the Novel in 1925 and Walter Benjamin in his 1930 review Krisis des Romans (Crisis of the Novel).

In the 1950s and 1960s, contributors to the discussion included Gore Vidal, Roland Barthes, and John Barth.Ronald Sukenick wrote the story The Death of the Novel in 1969. In 1954, Wolfgang Kayser argued that the death of the narrator would lead to the death of the novel - a view that has since been contested by many people.

Meanwhile, Alain Robbe-Grillet argued that the novel would be likely to atrophy and die as a literary form if it did not advance beyond 19th century structures; this admonition led to his creation of the New Novel or Nouveau roman.

Tom Wolfe in the 1970s predicted that the New Journalism would displace the novel. Italo Calvino is considered to have turned round the question "is the novel dead?", as "is it possible to tell stories that are not novels?"

As for causes, Robert B. Pippin connects the 'death of the novel' with the rise of nihilism in European culture.Saul Bellow, discussing Ravelstein which was loosely a portrait of Allan Bloom, commented on a connection to the idea that they are really saying that there are no significant people to write about.

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