We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Novella

Definition:

What's shorter than a novel but longer than a short story?

We'll give you three guesses… Okay one… Okay, we'll just tell you.

It's a novella.

Examples? Well, there's Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men—that's a pretty long one, clocking in at just over a hundred pages. Then there's Herman Melville's Billy Budd, George Orwell's Animal Farm, and Ayn Rand's Anthem.