The novel emerged in Britain at the beginning of the 18th century. Two factor are influenced it:
Improved printing and communication systems
Journalism
The growth of the reading public (middle class)
Expansion of the school system and lending libraries
The best example of the realistic novel is Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719).
Richardson masters the epistolary novel with Pamela and Clarissa.
Fielding is one of the best interpreters of the picaresque novel.
Henry Fielding was born from an aristocratic family. He studied the classics and law became barrister
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