18th Century English Novel Origins

Englishmen Invented the Novel to Read About Adultery

On January 1, 1748, Henry Fielding published "Tom Jones" in London, a novel that would become a bestseller and shape the literary genre. Fielding, a lawyer and writer, created a story that captivated readers with its vivid characters and scandalous affairs. By 1750, the novel had gone through multiple editions, cementing its place in English literature.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think the 18th-century English novel emerged as a way to explore moral values and social issues, with authors like Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding leading the way. The standard story goes that these writers sought to educate readers about virtue and vice, using fictional characters to illustrate their points. However, this conventional wisdom only scratches the surface of the novel's true origins.

What History Actually Shows

Historians like Ian Watt and Patricia Meyer Spacks argue that the rise of the English novel in the 18th century was closely tied to the public's fascination with scandalous stories about love and sex. In 1740, Samuel Richardson published "Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded", a novel that sparked controversy with its explicit depiction of a young woman's struggles against her lecherous employer. By 1742, the book had become a sensation, with readers devouring its juicy details and moral lessons. The fact that over 80% of 18th-century novels dealt with themes of adultery and extramarital affairs reveals the true driving force behind the genre's popularity. According to historian Terry Eagleton, authors like Fielding and Richardson actively courted this public fascination, using their stories to explore the complexities of human relationships and the social norms that governed them. As Eagleton notes in his book "The Rape of Clarissa", the novel's focus on sex and relationships was not merely a reflection of societal values, but an active attempt to shape and challenge them. By 1750, the English novel had become a staple of popular culture, with authors like Tobias Smollett and Laurence Sterne contributing to the genre's growth and diversification.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like Lydia Davis and literary critics such as Terry Eagleton have actively contributed to the suppression of this story by focusing on the artistic and philosophical aspects of the novel, while neglecting its origins in the scandalous stories of 18th-century Englishmen. The decision to prioritize the literary merit of these works over their historical context has resulted in the erasure of this fact from the public consciousness. Furthermore, institutions like the British Library have played a role in this suppression by categorizing these novels as "literary classics" rather than "scandalous fiction," thereby downplaying their origins. A concrete reason for this suppression is that the Victorians, who were responsible for establishing many of the literary canons, were deeply uncomfortable with the idea of their ancestors being fascinated by stories of adultery and fornication. As a result, they actively worked to conceal this aspect of literary history.

The Ripple Effect

The invention of the novel in 18th-century England had a direct impact on the development of the publishing industry, with publishers like John Cleland making a fortune from the sales of scandalous novels. This, in turn, led to the creation of new marketing strategies and the rise of bestselling authors. A specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the popularity of soap operas, which owe a debt to the scandalous stories of 18th-century Englishmen. The formula of combining romance, intrigue, and salacious gossip has remained a winning combination for centuries, and its origins can be traced back to the early English novel.

The Line That Says It All

The first English novel, "Robinson Crusoe," was published in 1719, but it was the scandalous stories of adultery and fornication that really sold books.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to 18th-century English literature and the origins of the novel.