What is a novella, and how is it different from a novel?
A novella is a work of prose fiction longer than a short story but shorter than most novels, roughly 17,500 to 40,000 words by one common definition. It usually focuses on a single central situation or conflict with a small cast, which is why the best ones can be read in an evening and still feel complete.
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The novella is the espresso of fiction: smaller than the full cup, concentrated, and somehow more intense for it. It also has a pleasingly Italian name.
Where the word comes from
Novella is Italian, originally meaning a short tale presented as true, or apparently true, as Wikipedia explains. Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, which Wikipedia dates to 1353, helped establish the form (more on that in our page on the Decameron). Later, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, German writers developed the novella into a genre of its own, built around a single event and a decisive turning point.
How long is a novella?
There is no legal limit, but there are working definitions. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association puts novellas at 17,500 to 40,000 words, with novelettes between 7,500 and 17,500, according to the same Wikipedia article. In everyday English, "novella" often just means a short novel, and publishers use the word loosely.
In practice, a novella is a book you can read in one long evening or a lazy afternoon. The first hardcover of The Old Man and the Sea, for instance, ran to 140 pages.
What makes it different
Length is the obvious difference, but the more interesting one is shape. A novella usually has fewer conflicts than a novel, but more room to develop them than a short story. That tends to produce:
- One central situation. A man wakes up transformed. An old fisherman hooks a giant fish.
- A small cast. Two or three characters who matter, the rest sketched.
- A tight time frame. Days or weeks rather than generations.
- A strong ending. With less space for subplots, the last pages often carry great weight.
A novella may or may not have chapters, the Wikipedia article notes. Some are divided into numbered sections, others run straight through.
Four classics to read in a sitting
- The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka (1915). A travelling salesman wakes one morning as a giant insect, and he and his family struggle to adjust, per Wikipedia. Strange, sad and darkly funny.
- A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (1843). A miserly London businessman is visited by three spirits who show him his past, present and future. Dickens divided it into five "staves", as Wikipedia notes. Better than any adaptation.
- Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (1937). Two displaced ranch workers in Depression-era California share a dream of owning land. Steinbeck designed it as a "play-novelette" in six sections, so it works almost like a stage script, according to Wikipedia.
- The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway (1952). An ageing Cuban fisherman, a huge marlin and the open sea. We explain why it is so famous on its own page.
For a broader list that includes short novels as well as novellas, see great short novels for a weekend.
FAQ
Is a novella just a long short story?
Not quite. A short story often captures a single moment; a novella has room for development and change, while staying focused. It sits between the two rather than being a stretched version of either.
Are novellas easier to read than novels?
Shorter, yes, but not always easier. Because nothing is wasted, many repay a second reading, and a short book can still be a dense one.
Why don't publishers use the word more?
Many publishers simply call any short book a novel. If you want a novella, look at the page count and the blurb rather than the label.
Are there good Italian novellas?
Plenty. Alessandro Baricco's Silk is a much-loved short modern example; see our page on Silk.
Sources
Written by the Zestasy editors. General information for curious adults, not medical, nutrition or training advice.