About the book: 2021 / University of Michigan-Flint professor Thomas Foster, author of the best-selling book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, illuminating the milestones of the "short, disorganized and a completely unusual” history of the novel genre, helps to understand the narrative fabric of novels and learn to see hidden connections between the works of different authors and eras. A real gift for the sophisticated reader! “The irresistible charm of the novel is largely due to its ability to collaborate; readers become involved in the characters' stories and actively participate in creating meaning. Their reward is pleasures that are more natural than the inherently artificial genres of drama or film. Live communication between the creator and his audience begins from the first line, does not stop until the last word, and it is thanks to him, even after finishing reading, that we remember the novel for a long time... We decide whether to agree with the author on what is important, we bring our own concepts and fantasy in what is connected with the characters and events, we are drawn not just into the plot, but into all aspects of the novel, we, together with the author, create its meaning. We do not part with the book, we keep it alive, even if the author has been dead for many centuries. Active, caring reading is the key to the life of a novel, the reward and joy of the reader’s life.” (Thomas Foster) Publishing design preserved in PDF A4 format.