Novel Characters offers a fascinating and in-depth history of the novelistic character from the “birth of the novel” in Don Quixote , through the great canonical works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to the most influential international novels of the present day  An original study which offers a unique approach to thinking about and discussing character Makes extensive reference to both traditional and more recent and specialized academic studies of the novel Provides a critical vocabulary for understanding how the novelistic conception of character has changed over time. Examines a broad range of novels, cultures, and periods Promotes discussion of how different cultures and times think about human identity, and how the concept of what a character is has changed over time