La novela, en cuanto género literario histórico, nunca ha sido aceptada en las poéticas y retóricas tradicionales. En este artículo investigo cómo la teoría literaria española del siglo XIX se enfrentó al mismo problema, aunque ahora surgiendo como un género decisivo para la literatura moderna. Intentaré clarificar cómo la definían, dónde la situaban y qué papel ejercía dentro del sistema de pensamiento de los tratadistas.The novel, as a historical genre, had always been kept apart from the traditional treatises of Poetry and Rhetoric. In this article I investigate how the scholars of Spanish theory of literature faced the same question during the nineteenth century, although the novel became into a decisive genre to the literature in that period. I will try to explain how the novels had been defined and what role played for the scholars in their treatises and handbooks. Key Words: Novel, genre, XIXth century, Spanish treatises of poetry and rhetoric
