novel

¹

[ nov-uhl ]

noun

1. a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes.
2. (formerly) novella ( def 1 ).

novel

²

[ nov-uhl ]

adjective

1. of a new and unusual kind; different from anything seen or known before:

   a novel idea.

2. not previously detected or reported:

   the emergence of novel strains of the virus.

novel

³

[ nov-uhl ]

noun

1. Roman Law.
   1. an imperial enactment subsequent and supplementary to an imperial compilation and codification of authoritative legal materials.
   2. Usually Novels, imperial enactments subsequent to the promulgation of Justinian's Code and supplementary to it: one of the four divisions of the Corpus Juris Civilis.
2. Civil Law. an amendment to a statute.

novel

¹

/ ˈnɒvəl /

noun

1. an extended work in prose, either fictitious or partly so, dealing with character, action, thought, etc, esp in the form of a story
2. the novel
   the literary genre represented by novels
3. obsolete.
   usually plural a short story or novella, as one of those in the Decameron of Boccaccio

novel

²

/ ˈnɒvəl /

adjective

1. of a kind not seen before; fresh; new; original

   a novel suggestion

novel

³

/ ˈnɒvəl /

noun

1. Roman law a new decree or an amendment to an existing statute See also Novels

novel

1. A long, fictional narration in prose. Great Expectationsand Huckleberry Finnare novels, as are War and Peaceand Lord of the Flies.

Other Words From

• novel·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of novel¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Italian novella (storia) “new (story)”; novel ²

Origin of novel²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French novel, from Old French novel, nouvel, from Latin novellus “fresh, young, novel,” diminutive of novus “new”; new

Origin of novel³

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin novella (constitūtiō) “a new (regulation, order)”; novel ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of novel¹

C15: from Old French novelle, from Latin novella ( narrātiō ) new (story); see novel ²

Origin of novel²

C15: from Latin novellus new, diminutive of novus new

Synonym Study

See new.

Example Sentences

That the themes explored in Maguire’s novel are just as relevant 30 years after its publication speaks to just how important “Wicked” is.

From Salon

The novel insight is akin to moving from the maps of the 15th Century era of Joan of Arc and Richard III to what the phone in your pocket can load.

From BBC

The results are relevant for the development of novel skin cancer therapies, particularly in the field of immunotherapy.

From Science Daily

Certainly, there could have been a more straightforward adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed novel about the friendship between two Black boys at a brutal Florida reform school in the early 1960s.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone who has explored London beyond its tourist hubs, or has at least glanced at the pages of a Zadie Smith novel, knows that multiculturalism gives the city its life.

From New York Times

Related Words

• fiction
• narrative
• novella
• paperback
• prose
• story
• tale
• yarn

More About Novel

What is a novel?

A novel is a long work of fiction written in prose that tells a narrative involving characters and usually involving an organized set of actions occurring in a setting.

Let’s break that down. Fiction is a type of writing (literature) that involves characters that don’t exist or people (usually famous) who have been reimagined (fictionalized). The events in fiction are made up, or, in the case of historic events, were fictionalized.

Prose is the ordinary manner of writing that we use, that is, using complete sentences and not poetic verses. A narrative is a telling of events or experiences. Stories and essays are narratives.

A setting is a story’s location and time. Some novels take place in our own time and place, while others take place in the past, in another country, in the future, and even in space or on other planets (real or made-up).

Length is usually the key difference between works of fiction. While there are no official rules, a novel is generally at least 50,000 words, and many novels are much longer than this. By contrast, a short story is often 1,000 to 10,000 words, although flash fiction can be as short as 500 words. A novella (a short novel) is somewhere in between a short story and a novel.

Why is novel important?

The first records of the word novel referring to literature come from around 1560. It comes from the Italian world novella, meaning “a new story.” At first, novel referred to a collection of stories in one work or one of these stories. Over time, it began to refer specifically to long-form fiction and novella was adopted to describe the medium-length work of fiction.

Because of its length, a novel is usually more complex than shorter fictional works. Novels usually have many characters and a bigger setting. This allows the author to create bigger, more complex stories. Some stories are so big that it takes a series of novels to tell them, as with the Harry Potter series.

Some examples of novels many students read in school include Catcher in the Rye, 1984, and Lord of the Flies.

Did you know ... ?

The Tale of Genji by Japanese author Murasaki Shikibu around 1010 is considered by many people to be the first novel. The novel stars Prince Genji and his life in the Japanese imperial court.

What are real-life examples of novel?

This is the cover of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, an example of a classic novel.

<img loading="lazy" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/The_Great_Gatsby_Cover_1925_Retouched.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="356" />

Many people dream of writing a great novel.

#writers You are never too old to sell a debut novel (read entire article for examples) Angeline Boulley, age 55, sold “Firekeeper’s Daughter” for seven figures in a two-book deal. https://t.co/yAnEENAnTU via @WSJ

— christine kohler (@christinekohle1) March 25, 2021

At @RBESRockets, 1st graders in Mrs. Skinner's class have become poets! Students have been enjoying listening to the classic novel "Charlotte's Web" during daily read-alouds. Then, students wrote and illustrated poetry based on a favorite character in the book. ✍️🎨🐖🕸️ pic.twitter.com/OCQvsLqEfR

— Oconee County Schools (@OconeeCoSchools) March 25, 2021

 

What other words are related to novel?

• literature
• fiction
• prose
• length
• narrative
• complexity

Quiz yourself!

Which of the following is NOT a trait of a novel?

A. it is a work fiction
B. it is short
C. it is written in prose
D. it involves a complex narrative