The novel: An undead genre

Abstract

The opening chapter introduces and contextualises new approaches in literary studies, which respond to changing narrative forms and subject areas covered by the twenty-first-century novel. First, we reflect upon the increasing significance of the novel as both reflection and catalyst of cultural, political, and economic change. We then briefly discuss theoretical and methodological approaches that have been prompted by these changes explored in twenty-first-century narratives. Though scholars have heralded the end of the novel, it is anything but a dead genre. This chapter outlines the various ways in which its extraordinary variety and protean shape continues to enable the novel to respond to key global challenges of our time. It concludes with a short overview of the approaches covered in the volume.