Encyclopedic novel

Encyclopedic novel

Literary concept popularised by Edward Mendelson. In his formulation, encyclopedic novels "attempt to render the full range of knowledge and beliefs of a national culture, while identifying the ideological perspectives from which that culture shapes and interprets its knowledge". In more general terms, the encyclopedic novel is a long, complex work of fiction that incorporates extensive information (which is sometimes fictional itself), often from specialized disciplines of science and the humanities. Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, Faust, Moby-Dick, and War and Peace are commonly cited examples of encyclopedic novels