Toward a New Novel; Essays on Fiction

Toward a New Novel is a collection of essays by Alain Robbe-Grillet that theorizes the principles of the nouveau roman, or "new novel." This literary movement, which emerged in France in the 1950s, represented a significant departure from traditional novelistic conventions.

The nouveau roman writers, including Robbe-Grillet, Claude Simon, and Nathalie Sarraute, deliberately rejected elements such as plot, linear chronology, character development, and omniscient narration. Instead, they focused on presenting fragmented, repetitive, or ambiguous events, demanding a more active and interpretive role from the reader. Robbe-Grillet's own work, like La Jalousie, exemplifies this by focusing on obsessive details rather than a clear narrative progression. The movement aimed to explore new possibilities in fiction by challenging established literary habits and reader expectations.123