What are the elements of the psychological novel?

Psychological novels are works of fiction that treat the
internal life of the protagonist (or several or all characters) as much as (if not more
than) the external forces that make up the plot. The internal action also both results
from and develops the plot.

In psychological novels, the
characterization and development thereof is of primary importance, sometimes creating a
plot that is more of a backdrop than the main point of interest. The interiority may be
expressed in internal monologues or stream of conscious writing or in soliloquies orby
the narrator as is Dostoyevsky's
works.

Hamlet is a famous
example of an early psychological drama, but psychological works date back to
The Tale of Genji, an 11th-century Japanese novel. Psychological
novels are an important genre of modern literature and occur frequently in both English
and French writing.