Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Novel and Novella- Paragraphs based on M. H. Abraham's "Literary Forms and Terms"

 

                                                                Novella
                A novella is a narrative prose fiction that occupies a middle ground between the short story and the novel. The term originates from the Italian novella, meaning “a little new thing”. A novella concentrates on a single event, character, or conflict. It maintains the unity and intensity of a short story while providing more development of character and theme. The structure of a novella is compact and unified, with a deliberate focus on economy of design and precision of style. It often presents a crisis or turning point in the protagonist’s life, exploring its psychological or moral implications. Notable examples include Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899), which explores imperialism and human corruption; Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915), a psychological allegory of alienation; and Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice (1912), which examines aesthetic obsession and decay. M. H. Abrams classifies novellas, including the realistic novella, which depicts lifelike situations and characters; the psychological novella, which delves into mental and emotional experiences; and the symbolic or allegorical novella, which uses metaphor to express philosophical or moral ideas. Because of its length and focus, the novella is especially suited to conveying intense emotions and complex ideas within a concise framework. Thus, the novella remains a vital literary form that captures both the precision of art and the breadth of human experience.

 

                                                                            Novel
              According to M. H. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, a novel is a long prose narrative that depicts fictional characters and events in a coherent plot. It offers a comprehensive portrayal of human life and experience. It differs from shorter narrative forms like the short story or novella in both length and complexity. A novel allows extensive character development, subplots, and social commentary. The novel as a literary form emerged in the early eighteenth century, with works such as Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740). A novel’s flexibility enables it to encompass a vast range of themes—romantic, social, historical, psychological, and philosophical. There are several types of novels. Each type is defined by its focus or narrative method. The “picaresque novel” (e.g., Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones) follows the adventures of a roguish hero through a series of episodes. The “epistolary novel” (e.g., Richardson’s Clarissa) unfolds through letters. The “historical novel” (e.g., Walter Scott’s Waverley) blends history and imagination. The “Gothic novel” (e.g., Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) explores mystery, horror, and the supernatural. The “stream-of-consciousness novel” (e.g., James Joyce’s Ulysses) presents the inner flow of thoughts and sensations of the characters. Further important subgenres include the “novel of manners” like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which portrays social conventions and class behavior. The “Bildungsroman” or “novel of growth” traces the moral and psychological development of a protagonist from youth to maturity, as seen in The Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. A “Künstlerroman” novel focuses on the growth of an artist or writer as in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The “regional novel”, like Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd, vividly represents the customs, dialects, and landscape of a specific locality.  Through such diverse forms, a novel serves as a mirror of society, a vehicle of moral reflection, and a space for psychological and philosophical exploration.

 

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Novel and Novella- Paragraphs based on M. H. Abraham's "Literary Forms and Terms"

                                                                  Novella                 A novella is a narrative prose fiction that oc...