Generic Issues and the novel

Some questions we will be asking ourselves:
In what ways is the novel popular?

How does it differ from more elite genres?

What were elite genres?
Prestigious literary works were the Greek and Latin classics and works influenced by or modeled on them. Many of these works were designed so that they could only be read or appreciated by those with a “classical” or “gentleman’s education.” Women and middle and lower class men rarely learned to read the classics.

Neo-classic aesthetics: most classically oriented readers and writers mistrusted innovation, and believed that the classics provided the most enduring, time-tested models of literary excellence. They also shared a belief that there were certain essential rules of literature, rules derived from classical models and aesthetic writings such as Horace’s Art of Poetry.

For our purposes the most important aspect of this is the concept of literary decorum and the hierarchy of genres. According to M. H. Abrams, decorum is “the propriety or fitness with which a literary genre, its subject matter, characters, and actions, and the style of its narration and its dialogue are matched to each other.”

According to these rules, tragedy and Epic are “high” and serious; as such, they should feature kings and other aristocratic characters, acting and speaking only in the most dignified, elevated manner. On the other hand, comedy should feature middle and lower class characters, often acting ridiculously. Serious literature should not represent non-elite characters.

Another belief was that literature should only focus on essential or timeless truths and should exclude what was mundane or ordinary as transitory and unimportant.

Most novel writers and readers had not had access to a classical education..

Question:
In what ways does Robinson Crusoe break from classical conventions and the rules of “decorum”?