The first European novel is generally considered to be Don Quijote. It is a Spanish novel written by Miguel de Cervantes, considered by many to be the creator of the modern novel way back in the 17th century.
The 'rising action' of a novel is the section of the story after the exposition that builds the story's primary (and secondary) conflicts, advancing the plot. This contrasts with 'falling action', the events that come after a story's climax, leading towards a resolution.
I believe that an unhappy ending can do that.
When a story has a happy ending, then you finish it and you feel satisfied and joyful about how the story ended. On the other hand, if the story ends in an unhappy manner, you start thinking about the resolutions and imagining what could lead to such an ending and how it could be fixed.
