Novels and the Transformation of Society through Creative Arts: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Creative arts, grouped mainly into visual, performing and literary arts, have the potentials of transforming the education sector in particular and the society as a whole. This study focuses on novels, which are integral parts of literary arts. The study seeks to show that novels are mechanisms for transforming society. The study is grounded in Vygostsky’s Theory of Creativity, which postulates that creativity is the base of art and science, and every human being is innately creative. Leaning on the theory, this study argues that although every human being possesses creativity from which novels are produced, not everyone has the creativity for writing novels. It also argues that novels, as products of creativity, are capable of transforming society. Data are sourced from observation, introspection and library and internet secondary sources. Descriptive survey, content analysis and interpretive tools are employed. The analysis shows that novels have caused as well as introduced new world orders, innovations, changes in practices, education and ways of doing things, and so on, which constitute the prospects. The attendant issues or matters arising from all that novels bring to place in society constitute the challenges. The study concludes that novels, like other creative arts, offers society wide range of transformative prospects that outweigh the challenges they pose to society. It charges all and sundry to duly harness the transformative potentials of novels by being deeply engaged in them as writers or audiences of novels or both.