The beginning of the ‘modern’ novel usually is dated between the middle of the eighteenth until the middle of the nineteenth century when realism reshaped the centuries old design of the novel. A crucial feature of the new realist model was the turning away from the typified black-and-white characters as predetermined social representatives acting in a predictable world and the turning towards individualized characters whose actions are driven by more relatable human thoughts. However, early traces of this realist model of designing characters are already visible in some of the finest examples of Neo-Latin novel writing. By examining different Neo-Latin novels from the Early Modern Period, this article highlights the realist character development in pre-modern times.
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