Psychological novel, work of fiction in which the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the characters are of equal or greater interest than is the external action of the narrative. In a psychologic

Psychological novel, work of fiction in which the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the characters are of equal or greater interest than is the external action of the narrative. In a psychological novel the emotional reactions and internal states of the characters are influenced by and in turn trigger external events in a meaningful symbiosis. This emphasis on the inner life of characters is a fundamental element of a vast body of fiction: William Shakespeare's Hamlet is perhaps the prime early example of it in dramatic form. Although an overtly psychological approach is found among the earliest English novels, such as Samuel Richardson's Pamela (1740), which is told from the heroine's point of view, and Laurence Sterne's introspective first-person narrative Tristram Shandy (1759–67), the psychological novel reached its full potential only in the 20th century. Its development coincided with the growth of psychology and the discoveries of Sigmund Freud, but it was not necessarily a result of this. The penetrating insight into psychological complexities and unconscious motivations characteristic of the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy, the detailed recording of external events' impingement on individual consciousness as practiced by Henry James, the associative memories of Marcel Proust, the stream-of-consciousness technique of James Joyce and William Faulkner, and the continuous flow of experience of Virginia Woolf were each arrived at independently.

To the LighthouseDust jacket designed by Vanessa Bell for the first edition of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse, published by the Hogarth Press in 1927.

Between the Covers Rare Books, Merchantville, NJ

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In the psychological novel, plot is subordinate to and dependent upon the probing delineation of character. Events may not be presented in chronological order but rather as they occur in the character's thought associations, memories, fantasies, reveries, contemplations, and dreams. For instance, the action of Joyce's Ulysses (1922) takes place in Dublin in a 24-hour period, but the events of the day evoke associations that take the reader back and forth through the characters' past and present lives. In the complex and ambiguous works of Franz Kafka, the subjective world is externalized, and events that appear to be happening in reality are governed by the subjective logic of dreams.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

novel: Psychological

The psychological novel first appeared in 17th-century France, with Madame de La Fayette's Princesse de Clèves (1678), and the category was consolidated by works like the Abbé Prévost's Manon Lescaut (1731) in the century following. More primitive fiction had been characterized by a proliferation…

English literature: Richardson

…astonishingly ruthless testing of the psychological natures of the two leading characters. Even in its own day, Clarissa was widely accepted as having demonstrated the potential profundity, moral or psychological, of the novel. It was admired and imitated throughout Europe. After such intensities, Richardson's final novel, The History of Sir...

Spanish literature: Revival of the Spanish novel

…him the father of Spain's psychological novel. He was a prolific writer, his works ranging from poetry and newspaper articles to critical essays and memoirs. Regionalist José María de Pereda produced minute re-creations of nature, which was depicted as an abiding reality that dwarfed individuals. His most celebrated novels, Sotileza…

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Psychological novel

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KEY PEOPLE

May Sinclair

Aleksei Gogua

Vergílio Ferreira

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Leon Edel

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ALEKSEI GOGUA

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Aleksei Gogua

Abkhazian writer

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Alternative Titles: Aleksei Nocha-ipa Gogua, Aleksei Nochevich Gogua

Aleksei Gogua, Abkhaz in full Aleksei Nocha-ipa Gogua, Russian in full Aleksei Nochevich Gogua, (born March 15, 1932, Gup, Abkhazia, Georgia, U.S.S.R. [now Abkhazia, Georgia]), Abkhazian writer credited with introducing the psychological novel to Abkhazian literature.

Gogua grew up in Abkhazia and began publishing in the late 1940s. He graduated from the Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow in 1960. He is best known as a prose writer, and much of his work deals with historical themes, chronicling life in Abkhazia in both prerevolutionary and Soviet times. The publication of his first collection of short stories, The River Runs to the Sea (1957), was followed by other Abkhaz-language collections, including The Beautiful Mountain (1975) and It Is Already Possible to Make Out the Person Standing in Front (1990). Russian-language editions of his stories include The Taste of Water (1978), Beyond Seven Stones (1984), and The Wild Azalea (1989).

Among the novels Gogua wrote in Abkhaz is Halo (1966), which focuses on 24 hours in the life of an Abkhazian peasant. His writing in these novels is rich in symbolism and allegory, lyrical and philosophical digressions, and dense, highly intellectual language. His prose often takes a stream-of-consciousness form, and his probing of the psychology of his characters represented a new direction in Abkhazian literature.

Gogua avoided involvement in Soviet politics until 1988, during the perestroika years, when he became a member of the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies for Abkhazia. At the same time, he also became the first president of Aidgylara (Abkhaz: "Unity"; also called the Abkhazian Popular Forum), a political organization that pressed for Abkhazian independence.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering, Executive Editorial Director.Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

psychological novel

Psychological novel, work of fiction in which the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the characters are of equal or greater interest than is the external action of the narrative. In a psychological novel the emotional reactions and internal states of the characters are influenced by and in turn trigger external…

stream of consciousness

Stream of consciousness, narrative technique in nondramatic fiction intended to render the flow of myriad impressions—visual, auditory, physical, associative, and subliminal—that impinge on the consciousness of an individual and form part of his awareness along with the trend of his rational thoughts. The term was first used by the psychologist…

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