Sentimental Novel

Sentimentalism in English literature

The sentimental novel, also known as the novel of sentimentality, is a literary genre that focuses on the exploration of emotions, particularly those associated with sentiment, sympathy, and sensibility. This genre often portrays characters who are highly sensitive and prone to intense emotional experiences.

Let's first consider the philosophy of sentimentalism.

With advances in this philosophy came the birth of sentimentalism in English literature, including the sentimental novel and sentimental poetry.

Conceptual arguments were enlivened by characters and narratives founded on ideas of sentimentality. In literature, writers employed techniques that encouraged disproportionally emotional responses to otherwise insignificant events to substitute for measured discussions about more profound ethical and intellectual subjects.

Sentimentalism arose in opposition to rationalism.

In the 18th century, rationalist philosophy staunchly proposed that analysis based on logic was the basis for all truths, even in ideas of morality.

Sentimentalism, therefore, emerged as a counter-philosophy, arguing that moral judgment could not be founded on these principles alone. Instead, human emotions must be considered and developed to access a more accurate moral theory.

Sensibility

Sentimental novels are sometimes referred to as 'novels of sensibility', due to the pervasive influence of contemporary ideas of sensibility.

Sensibility soon became a key aspect of British society, as it became associated with virtue and morality. Characters' sensibility, shown in their immense capacity for feeling toward others and deep appreciation of the world, was seen as evidence of a pure, true heart.

Sentimental novel: elements

The sentimental novel's elements all work together to form the genre's particular intent, including:

• the importance of emotion
• its purpose as entertainment
• and the idealisation of nature

Fig. 1 - The Sentimental novel as a literary term encompasses works that evoke sentimental feelings and prioritise emotional depth and moral lessons.

Sentimental novel: characteristics

The sentimental novel's key genre characteristics are emotions, sentiment, entertainment, and the natural world with rural settings.

Emotions

The defining quality of the sentimental novel is the display of emotional responses to external stimuli.

Characters tended to experience intense moments of anguish, tenderness and distress, which informed their actions, and, therefore, the progression of plot action. Sentimental writers showcased the acute sensitivity of these characters in their capacity for intense feelings for things that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The culture of sensibility during the 18th century would have found these characters deeply endearing. Characters displaying intense emotions demonstrated an extraordinary ability for compassion, especially in a society that increasingly valued rationality.

Crucially, writers relied upon eliciting these feelings of sympathy from readers to help shape an understanding of an otherwise unrealistic plot and characters.

Entertainment

The sentimental novel was hugely popular during the 18th century for entertainment. The rise of the novel encouraged an unprecedented readership that incorporated new social and economic groups into literary culture.

Literature had previously been an exclusive interest of the upper class. However, the sentimental novel's consideration of social and economic issues, as well as its entertainment value, encouraged the participation of the middle class, young people, and women.

The natural world

Rural settings were typical of sentimental novels, often presented through an idealised lens.

Usually, narratives tend to follow the protagonist on a journey where they are transported to the countryside from a city. The beauty and purity of the natural landscape are harshly juxtaposed against the corruption and immorality of the urban environment.

Nature is seen, therefore, as a paradise where people live happily, free from the mistreatment of the city.

This became a key point of contention with critics, who pointed out the unrealistic quality of this depiction of the natural world as it appeared to characters and readers alike.

Let's consider an example:

Examples of sentimental novels

The various examples of the sentimental novel include Samuel Johnson's Pamela, Or Virtue Rewarded, and Oliver Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield, Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy (1759-67), Henry Mackenzie's The Man of Feeling (1771), and Henrey Brooke's The Fool of Quality (1765-70).

Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740)

The emotional power of Pamela, written by Samuel Richardson, is said to be a defining influence on the sentimental novels of the latter half of the century.

It is an epistolary novel which follows the titular character, Pamela, a fifteen-year-old maid, subject to the advances of her mistress' son, Mr. B.

In failing to seduce her, Mr. B kidnaps Pamela, threatening to rape her, which she resists. He then proposes marriage, which she accepts. In the novel's second part, Pamela explores her new role as wife and adjusts to upper-class society.

In the novel's portrayal of marriage, Richardson implies that Mr. B's proposal is a reward for Pamela's virtue, as the title might suggest. The novel is typical of the sentimental genre in its presentation of distressing events and situations, as well as in Pamela's acute sensitivity and goodness.

Vicar of Wakefield (1766)

Another example we can look at is Oliver Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield.

The novel is narrated by Dr. Primrose, the titular Vicar of Wakefield, who, throughout the narrative, endures many trials and tribulations. These include his incarceration, witnessing his family house destroyed by fire, the loss of all his money, among others.

Unlike Pamela, Wakefield can be called a satire of the genre; though it contains many of the key characteristics of the genre, including an idealised rural setting, sentimental philosophy and emotional events, there is also an irony in much of the novel's narration.