novella
nuh-VEL-uh
/nəˈvɛl.ə/
A short novel or long short story, typically concentrated on a single central conflict or character development.
Occupies the middle ground in word count (usually 20,000 to 50,000 words) between a short story and a full novel.
The story behind the word. Adopted from Italian in the 18th century, 'novella' originally meant 'a new tale or piece of news'. Italian renaissance writers like Boccaccio in the 'Decameron' popularized these tight, focused prose tales, which eventually evolved into the modern word-count format.
Word relationships
- short novel: 'Short novel' is a descriptive synonym, while 'novella' is a formal literary classification.
- novelette: A 'novelette' is typically shorter than a novella (10,000–20,000 words) and sometimes carries a lighter tone.
- epic: An epic is vast in scale, length, and scope, unlike the concise focus of a novella.
Commonly confused with
- novelty: A novelty is a cheap gadget or new state, whereas a novella is a work of prose fiction.
Word family
- novellist (noun): An older, rarely used variant of novelist.
Collocations
- classic novella
- dystopian novella
- publish a novella
- novella length
Example sentences
- "Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis is one of the most famous novellas in world literature." Classics
- "The author released a novella to bridge the narrative gap between her main trilogy novels." Publishing
Memory hook
A novella is a NOVEL that is a bit NOVELLA (smaller/younger sister). Novella: shorter than a full novel.
When not to use
Do not use 'novella' for a 400-page book or a 2-page flash fiction piece.
Fun facts
- George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' are both technically novellas.
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