A comic novel is a novel-length work of humorous fiction. Many well-known authors have written comic novels, including P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Fielding, Mark Twain, and John Kennedy Toole. Comic novels are often defined by the author's literary choice to make the thrust of the work, in its narration or plot, funny or satirical in orientation, regardless of the putative seriousness of the topics addressed.
Facts
Notable ExampleThe History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding 1 Defining TraitComedy forms the framework and baseline of the entire narrative, functioning as the through-line that organizes the novel's tone and orientation, rather than an occasional comic motif. 1 Connections
Sources
1. Comic Novel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDefinition section
the defining characteristic of this genre is that comedy is the framework and baseline of the story, rather than an occasional or recurring motif. It is the through-line and organizing genre for the novel's tone, orientation and sensibility.
Notable authors section, British
Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling was a notable mid-18th century work in the genre.
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