This book is a groundbreaking introduction to the history of literature and an introduction to the finest works of fiction produced in the last 500 years. She researches 67 key works, from Alice in Wonderland to Crime and Punishment. And he does this through short stories that give an idea of great prose.

The author of the book, Henry Russell, takes the reader on a rapid tour of the history of literature and the history of the novel. It also analyzes how the basics of novels are arranged, how they work, what techniques, themes and genre elements are used.

The book will become an invaluable companion, an insightful assistant, able to suggest what and how to read, and also allow you to look over the novel fresh eyes, seeing it as a silent, invisible component of our connection to ourselves and the world.

How to read this book

The structure of the book allows the reader to easily navigate through the main themes, genres and literary techniques and get acquainted with the history of the development of the novel.

The book has four sections: "Genres", "Works", "Techniques" and "Themes". It can be read sequentially or in separate sections in any order.

Cross-references at the bottom of each page allow you to see internal connections and intersections, and sidebars tell about the main novels of the past and their creators.

From Author

This book provides a brief history of the novel as a literary form, examining its most significant genre varieties and styles, with an emphasis on the most famous works that have stood the test of time and influenced the development of the form - and not only in literature in the language original, but also in world literature. This study is by no means exhaustive, but it can certainly be called a fairly detailed introduction to the world of the novel.

Although most of the works presented in the book were written after the invention of the printing press and belong to a relatively short period - the last five hundred years - the oldest of them is almost two thousand years old. Each of the novels mentioned here at one time made a breakthrough or departed from the generally accepted norms and strongly influenced the development of the literary form. All these novels are still being read, they have been translated into a huge number of languages. All of them are discussed and analyzed in the context of a specific era | short biographies of the authors provide details about their lives, times and sources of inspiration.

Who is this book for

For those who want to better understand the history of literature, understand the main genres, themes and works

For all those who are interested in art and literature

For fans of the Main in History series