Evolution of the Novel: Traditional vs. Contemporary Techniques

Traditional Versus Contemporary Novels

The past, represented by novels from authors like Galdós and Clarín, remains the most common approach in the contemporary novel. A traditional novel is defined as any work written during the nineteenth century and modeled on the style of Balzac. When comparing these to modern works, we observe the following key differences:

1. The Role of the Author

In the traditional novel, the omniscient author is present and actively directs the story. By contrast, in the modern novel, the author often hides, preferring that the story reports all necessary information without direct intervention.

2. The Prestige of the Argument

While the plot is the most important element of the traditional novel, contemporary works may lack a traditional argument entirely. Some modern novels feature a broken narrative or replace the individual protagonist with a collective character, who necessarily lacks a personal history.

3. The Anti-Hero

The contemporary novel often features an anti-hero—a figure imprisoned by circumstances and at odds with themselves. A prime example is Franz Kafka's The Process, in which the protagonist is even deprived of their own name.

New Narrative Techniques

Modern novels differ from traditional works by utilizing new narrative techniques that align with contemporary concepts of storytelling. The most important include:

• Interior Monologue: This technique achieves the highest degree of subjectivity by removing the narrator's voice and adopting the character's internal standpoint.
• Counterpoint: Borrowed from music and popularized by Aldous Huxley's Point Counter Point, this technique presents several stories that combine and alternate. It provides momentum and allows for the simultaneity of times, places, or people without prior notice.
• Behaviorism: Based on the objectivity of the story, the author disappears completely. The characters convey the message through their behavior and actions, often showing a preference for the group over the individual.
• Flashback: This technique breaks the chronological and linear narrative order to evoke events that occurred prior to the current timeline of the story.