Rise of the Novel

William Warner in his essay The Elevation of the Novel in England: Hegemony and Literary Theory from which the above quotation is taken outlines his theory of a dependence on the part of Fielding and Richardson on the novels of earlier writers despite their attempts to devalue their work. In this essay I will examine this relationship from Warner's standpoint and show that it is a relationship is both complex and paradoxical. Richardson and Fielding. …

…meaning to his "anti-Charlot" Pamela. vii) Conclusion. Taking into account the work of William Warner and using his theoretical approach as a base for my own exploration of the relationship between the "legitimate" and the "outmoded" novelists, I conclude that the relationship between the two is intrinsic. Furthermore, I would argue that if Richardson and Fielding are considered farthers of the novel "proper" then Manley, Behn and Haywood could be considered to be the mothers.