English novel John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" (1678) and Aphra Behn's "Oroonoko" (1688) are also contenders, while earlier works such as Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte d'Arthur", and even the "Prologue" to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" have been suggested. Another important early novel is "Gulliver's Travels" (1726, amended 1735), by Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift, which is both a satire of human nature, as well as a parody of travellers' tales like "Robinson Crusoe". The rise of the novel as an important literary genre is generally associated with the growth of the middle class in England. Other major 18th-century English novelists are
The Center of the World (novel) The Center of the World (novel) The Center of the World (original German title: "Die Mitte der Welt") is a novel by Andreas Steinhöfel from 1998. It is a story about the problems of growing up, puberty, envy and jealousy, friendship and love. The novel was nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. The book has been translated into English by Alisa Jaffa and was edited by Jonas Sachwitz. It was published in the UK under the title Centre of My World. "Phil" is seventeen years old, has a twin sister "(Dianne)", a best friend "(Kat)", a slightly crazy mother "(Glass)" with