From ‘Novel’ to ‘Fiction’: Some Generic Distinctions by Sahdev Luhar

Abstract

Novel is not what Fiction is. There are some differences between Novel and Fiction. This paper is an attempt to unearth these differences. Novel is defined on the basis how close it is to realities, whereas Fiction is purely an art of imagination. The ‘fragile’ differences which one finds in ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ imagination, the same kind of dissimilarities are there between ‘fiction’ and ‘Fiction’. Whereas ‘fiction’ insinuates the idea of generic element, ‘Fiction’ is used to suggest generic form. The first alludes to ‘quality’, while the later to the ‘form’. The ‘fiction’ refers to mental process, whereas the ‘Fiction’ is the product made of this mental process. Drawing references from some illuminating texts on the topic, the present paper discovers the five basic differences between Novel and Fiction.

Key Words: Narrative, novel, fiction, fictionality, generic quality, generic form.