Read the following introduction for a research paper on novels and answer the question. The word novel is borrowed from the Italian word novella (Henry 235). Defining exactly what a novel is can be hard work. The standard dictionary definition is "a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters" ("Novel"). Novels in some way represent life. The representations, however, occur in a narrative about life and experience. Since the novel can represent life, such fiction can be serious. The seriousness begins when the novel deals with humankind in a way that shows its importance and significance within the fictional world of the novel. The world of a novel varies greatly from author to author because each writer creates a new fictional world for a new work. That world may be all the relationships of a whole nation or of a very small town. That world may be as confined as the captain's cabin on a ship or as open as a little island. That world may also be as withdrawn as the farthest recesses of the human mind. Novels are important as they entertain and instruct the readers through a variety of life experiences.

What is the purpose of this paragraph?

to introduce the topic of novels
to create interest in the topic of novels
to describe novels
to define novels