In this course we will study the literary art form of the novel, considering how it is defined, what its distinctive characteristics are, and what its history may be. Our focus will be on the expressions of the gothic genre, touching on epistolary novel, seduction tales, abbey fiction, satire, psychological realism, revenge story, and magical realism. We will also consider the nature of fiction and non-fiction genres as they intersect with the literary explorations of the novel form by these authors. The historical scope of our study ranges from the mid 1700s to the early 1900s. Since the novel form was largely created by women writers for women readers, we are reading novels written by women: Susannah Minifie Gunning, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, and Virginia Woolf. Three of these four novels have never been out of print since the dates of their publications.