Resistance from the Elite:
* Focus on "serious" literature: The dominant literary forms of the time were poetry, drama, and philosophical treatises. These were seen as elevated forms of writing, aimed at exploring profound ideas and moral lessons. Novels, with their emphasis on storytelling and everyday life, were seen as frivolous and lacking intellectual substance.
* Fear of "lowering" standards: The upper classes feared that novels, with their accessible language and focus on popular themes, would undermine the value of classical literature and the standards of good writing.
* Concerns about morality: Some saw novels as promoting immoral or scandalous behavior, especially those dealing with love, sex, and social issues.
However, novels also gained significant acceptance:
* Emergence of the middle class: The rise of a literate middle class created a demand for accessible and engaging reading material. Novels filled this gap, offering stories that resonated with their everyday experiences and aspirations.
* Literary innovation: Some talented writers used the novel form to explore complex themes and characters, pushing the boundaries of what fiction could achieve. This earned the genre respect from even the most skeptical readers.
* Shifting societal values: As society evolved, so did its taste in literature. The emphasis on moral didacticism began to wane, and the novel's ability to entertain and explore human nature became increasingly valued.
Therefore, the acceptance of novels was a gradual and complex process, marked by both resistance and growing popularity. While some sections of the literate society initially dismissed them, others embraced the new genre, paving the way for its eventual dominance in the literary world.