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A novel is an invented story about a series of connected events in the lives of a group of people. Writers of novels are often referred to as novelists.
A possible definition of "novel" - one of the three main kinds of literature ( poetry, drama and novel ) and is the hardest to define. It is often defined as a fiction in prose of a certain extent with characters, incidents and perhaps a plot.
It is a relatively recent genre, dating from mainly the early 18th century. The novel is linked with realism. It claims to represent life as it appears to be. In this respect, the novel was meant to reach a large public and at the beginning it was considered as a "lower form of literature" ( poetry was considered as a far more prestigious type ).
What sets it apart from a short story is that it is longer, more complex, and deals with more than one issue in the lives of its characters. What sets it apart from a play is that it is not confined by the restrictions of the stage, human actors and the audience. What sets it apart from poetry is that it is written in prose form.
The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu (a Japanese noblewoman), was written in the early 11th century and is usually considered to be the world's first novel, though many Greek and Latin narratives may also fit that description, including The Golden Ass by Apuleius, a 2nd century Latin author from North Africa.
Miguel Cervantes is credited with writing the first Western novel, Don Quixote, the first part of which was published in 1605. In it we find the characteristics that even today make up a novel.
The first English language novelist was Daniel Defoe who wrote Robinson Crusoe in 1719.
