psychological novel

noun

1. a novel that focuses on the complex mental and emotional lives of its characters and explores the various levels of mental activity.

Word History and Origins

Origin of psychological novel¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

(d) A.'s general perception of these things and his weighing of values, a phase solely for the psychological novel.

From Project Gutenberg

We may in fact find in this domestic group an anticipation of the spirit of the modern psychological novel.

From Project Gutenberg

We can hardly imagine George Eliot writing in the first person: the “psychological novel” demands the third.

From Project Gutenberg

His other important novels are Ion, dealing with peasant life, and Ciuleandra, a psychological novel.

From Project Gutenberg

But in the modern psychological novel the hero is abnormal; the centre is not central.

From Project Gutenberg