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novella

novella

20 5.3
A short fiction book longer than a short story but shorter than a novel
  • noun
  • /nəˈvɛlə/
  • Literature
translation icon : novela corta
  • One of them even called it a novella instead of a short story.
  • write a novella
  • set of novellas

And she says the first novella, The Finder, is the prequel, right?

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Examples

  • Balzac first published his novella in the summer of 1831 in a juste milieu art journal, L'Artiste.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Although interpretations of the novella are numerous and diverse, many critics agree upon its theme of redemption.

    Academic text (2005)
  • A couple of years ago, I wrote a novella for one of my friends.

    Blog text (13)
  • What if I wanna write a novella?

  • It's like a whole theory of short fiction, and of the novella, you know?

  • The setting of the novella is a city of death which Christian enters as he begins to die.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I finished my novella, put it in a drawer, and began composing letters to colleges.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Mike Resnick told me he planned to write a novella that would be perfect for F&SF.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • James Patrick Riser is the author of a novella, Syndrome, from e-publisher Wild Child Publishing.

    Blog text (4)
  • In her latest book, she explores themes of love and loss in a captivating novella.

Synonyms

narrative
vsnovella
336 3.9

A story that describes connected events

refers specifically to fiction of intermediate length rather than any story
novelette
vsnovella
  • Literature
2 6.3

A short work of fiction between a short story and a novel

is the more general term for that intermediate length rather than calling it a novel
novelet
vsnovella
  • Literature
7.7

A short, light work of fiction longer than a short story

is neutral about tone and focuses only on intermediate length
nouvelle
vsnovella
  • Literature
8.2

A short book of fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel

is the general term for this intermediate length not tied to French literature

How Long

novel
794 2.4
novella
  • Literature
20 5.3
novelette
  • Literature
2 6.3
short story
  • Literature
105 2.3
drabble
  • Jargon
1 8.8

Surface Forms

novella singular
novellas plural

Etymology

The word novella comes from an Italian word novella that meant a 'new' short story and from Latin novus 'new', and it is like the English word novel. So a novella is a 'new' kind of story that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.