Ian Watt
Encyclopedia
Ian Watt was a literary critic, literary historian and professor of English at Stanford University
. His Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding (1957) is an important work in the history of the genre. Although published in 1957, The Rise of the Novel is still considered by many contemporary literary scholars as the seminal work on the origins of the novel
, and an important study of literary realism
. The book traces the rise of the modern novel to philosophical, economic and social trends and conditions that become prominent in the early 18th century.
, Westmorland
in England, Watt was educated at the Dover County School for Boys and at St John's College, Cambridge
, where he earned first-class honors in English.
Watt joined the British Army at the age of 22 and served with distinction in World War II as an infantry lieutenant from 1939 to 1946. He was wounded in the Battle of Singapore
in February 1942 and listed as "missing, presumed killed in action."
In fact, he had been taken prisoner by the Japanese and remained a prisoner of war at the Changi Prison
until 1945, working on the construction of the Burma Railway which crossed Thailand, a feat that inspired the Pierre Boulle book 'Bridge Over the River Kwai', and the film adaptation by David Lean. He criticized both the book and the film for the liberties they took with the historical details of his imprisonment and, more subtlety, their refusal to acknowledge the moral complexities of the situation
More than 12,000 prisoners died during the building of the railroad, most of them from disease, and Watt was critically ill from malnutrition for several years.
"There was a period when I expected to die," Watt told the San Francisco Examiner in a 1979 interview. "But I didn't know how sick I was until they gave me some of the vitamin pills that had just come into the camp. I remember being very surprised that I was considered sick enough to receive vitamins."
Professor Watt died in Menlo Park, California, USA.
has written that such literature can literally be read front to back, or back to front, with no significant difference in effect). These philosophical beliefs began to be replaced perhaps in the later Renaissance
, into the Enlightenment
, and, most importantly, in the early 18th century. The importance of rationalist philosophers such as John Locke
, Descartes, Spinoza and many others who followed them, and the scientific, social and economic developments of this period began to have ever greater impact, and in place of the older classical idealism, a more realistic, pragmatic, empirical understanding of life and human behavior, which recognized human individuality and conscious experience, began to emerge. This was reflected in the novels of Daniel Defoe
, Samuel Richardson
and Henry Fielding
, who in important ways began to write of unique individual lives and experiences lived in realistic, intersubjective (the term is Husserl's, who did not come along until the 20th century) environments. Watt wrote that the novel form's "primary criterion was truth to individual experience" (13). It is this focus on individual experience that characterizes the novel in Wattian terms. Prose works of a certain length could not necessarily be classified as novels—lengthy prose works had existed since ancient times, but many of these works dealt in the types characteristic of ancient literature. The picaresque novel
is an example of such a genre.
A second major trend that Watt studies is the "rise of the reading public" and the growth of professional publishing during this period. Publishers at this time “occupied a strategic position between author and printer, and between both of these and the public” (52-3). The growth of profit concerns impelled publishers to reach out to wider reading publics. In addition the specialization of professions, which narrowed the everyday experiences of this new reading public, created a market for portrayals of a greater array of different classes, peoples, ages, sexes, etc. (writing aimed at, and soon written by, women writers is an important trend of 18th century literature) Such detailed writings of the experiences of different people can be seen in the novels Watt examines, and had rarely been seen before. Watt presents many statistical details in this section of the book in support of his argument, especially since he spent some time.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding (1957) is an important work in the history of the genre. Although published in 1957, The Rise of the Novel is still considered by many contemporary literary scholars as the seminal work on the origins of the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, and an important study of literary realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
. The book traces the rise of the modern novel to philosophical, economic and social trends and conditions that become prominent in the early 18th century.
Biography
Born March 9, 1917, in WindermereWindermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
in England, Watt was educated at the Dover County School for Boys and at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, where he earned first-class honors in English.
Watt joined the British Army at the age of 22 and served with distinction in World War II as an infantry lieutenant from 1939 to 1946. He was wounded in the Battle of Singapore
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
in February 1942 and listed as "missing, presumed killed in action."
In fact, he had been taken prisoner by the Japanese and remained a prisoner of war at the Changi Prison
Changi Prison
Changi Prison is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.-First prison and POW camp:...
until 1945, working on the construction of the Burma Railway which crossed Thailand, a feat that inspired the Pierre Boulle book 'Bridge Over the River Kwai', and the film adaptation by David Lean. He criticized both the book and the film for the liberties they took with the historical details of his imprisonment and, more subtlety, their refusal to acknowledge the moral complexities of the situation
More than 12,000 prisoners died during the building of the railroad, most of them from disease, and Watt was critically ill from malnutrition for several years.
"There was a period when I expected to die," Watt told the San Francisco Examiner in a 1979 interview. "But I didn't know how sick I was until they gave me some of the vitamin pills that had just come into the camp. I remember being very surprised that I was considered sick enough to receive vitamins."
Professor Watt died in Menlo Park, California, USA.
Literary Criticism
A key element Watt explores is the decline in importance of the philosophy of classical antiquities, with its various strains of idealistic thought that viewed human experience as composed of universal Platonic "forms" with an innate perfection. Such a view of life and philosophy dominated writers from ancient times through the Renaissance, resulting in classical poetic forms and genres with essentially flat plots and characters (Russian theorist Mikhail BakhtinMikhail Bakhtin
Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin was a Russian philosopher, literary critic, semiotician and scholar who worked on literary theory, ethics, and the philosophy of language...
has written that such literature can literally be read front to back, or back to front, with no significant difference in effect). These philosophical beliefs began to be replaced perhaps in the later Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, into the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, and, most importantly, in the early 18th century. The importance of rationalist philosophers such as John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, Descartes, Spinoza and many others who followed them, and the scientific, social and economic developments of this period began to have ever greater impact, and in place of the older classical idealism, a more realistic, pragmatic, empirical understanding of life and human behavior, which recognized human individuality and conscious experience, began to emerge. This was reflected in the novels of Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
, Samuel Richardson
Samuel Richardson
Samuel Richardson was an 18th-century English writer and printer. He is best known for his three epistolary novels: Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded , Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady and The History of Sir Charles Grandison...
and Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
, who in important ways began to write of unique individual lives and experiences lived in realistic, intersubjective (the term is Husserl's, who did not come along until the 20th century) environments. Watt wrote that the novel form's "primary criterion was truth to individual experience" (13). It is this focus on individual experience that characterizes the novel in Wattian terms. Prose works of a certain length could not necessarily be classified as novels—lengthy prose works had existed since ancient times, but many of these works dealt in the types characteristic of ancient literature. The picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
is an example of such a genre.
A second major trend that Watt studies is the "rise of the reading public" and the growth of professional publishing during this period. Publishers at this time “occupied a strategic position between author and printer, and between both of these and the public” (52-3). The growth of profit concerns impelled publishers to reach out to wider reading publics. In addition the specialization of professions, which narrowed the everyday experiences of this new reading public, created a market for portrayals of a greater array of different classes, peoples, ages, sexes, etc. (writing aimed at, and soon written by, women writers is an important trend of 18th century literature) Such detailed writings of the experiences of different people can be seen in the novels Watt examines, and had rarely been seen before. Watt presents many statistical details in this section of the book in support of his argument, especially since he spent some time.
Other works by Watt
- Myths of Modern Individualism: Faust, Don Quixote, Don Juan, Robinson Crusoe
- Essays on Conrad
- Conrad's "Secret Agent" (Casebook)
- Conrad in the Nineteenth Century
- Jane Austen (20th Century Views)
- The humanities on the River Kwai (The Grace A. Tanner Lecture in human values)
- Conrad criticism and The nigger of the 'Narcissus'"
Editor and with others
- Introduction to The Secret Sharer: An Episode from the Coast by Joseph Conrad
- The Literal Imagination: Selected Essays by Ian P. Watt, edited by Bruce Thompson
- The Consequences of Literacy (with Jack Goody)
- Editor: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne