The three different kinds of novels (they're probably not what you think)

Awhile back I ran across Edith Wharton's book on how to write. I love Edith Wharton probably more than almost any other writer, so reading this was a no-brainer. And it was fascinating. She's writing this book more than 100 years ago, and she's sitting significantly closer to the invention of the novel than we are. If we go back 150 years before Wharton…