novels
Bound fictional narratives
Novels are book-length works of fiction, typically featuring narrative prose and character development.
The form emerged in the 18th century and now dominates literary publishing.
A novel is distinguished from shorter fiction by length and complexity: She's working on her first novel.
The adjective novel, a different word, means new or unfamiliar.
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- narratorOne who tells events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
- denouementStory's final unraveling
subplot · foreshadowing · flashback · epilogue · prologue · point-of-view · first-person · third-person
Unversified language
- themeCentral recurring concept
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- motifRecurring thematic element
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
metaphor · imagery · tone · mood · setting · worldbuilding · dialogue · subtext
Of written works
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- romanceLove and its excitement
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
science-fiction · historical · gothic · dystopian · detective · horror · western · satirical
Story's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- antiheroMorally ambiguous main character
- heroineBrave female protagonist
- villainWicked story antagonist
sidekick · mentor · foil · nemesis · deuteragonist · ingenue · rogue · archetype
Original text before publication
- hardcoverRigid-bound book format
- paperbackBook with flexible cover
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- bookstoreShop selling printed works
editor · agent · advance · royalties · galley · imprint · serialization · self-publishing
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- protagonistStory's central figure
- narratorOne who tells events
- climaxPoint of greatest intensity
denouement · subplot · foreshadowing · flashback · epilogue · prologue · point-of-view · first-person · third-person · omniscient
prose
Unversified language
- themeCentral recurring concept
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- motifRecurring thematic element
allegory · metaphor · imagery · tone · mood · setting · worldbuilding · dialogue · subtext · irony
literary
Of written works
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- romanceLove and its excitement
- thrillerSuspense-driven narrative genre
fantasy · science-fiction · historical · gothic · dystopian · detective · horror · western · satirical · picaresque
protagonist
Story's central figure
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- antiheroMorally ambiguous main character
- heroineBrave female protagonist
villain · sidekick · mentor · foil · nemesis · deuteragonist · ingenue · rogue · archetype · ensemble
manuscript
Original text before publication
- hardcoverRigid-bound book format
- paperbackBook with flexible cover
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
bookstore · editor · agent · advance · royalties · galley · imprint · serialization · self-publishing · ghostwriter
saga
Extended heroic narrative
- trilogyThree linked creative works
- seriesOrdered set of related items
- sweepingExtensive and far-reaching
multigenerational · sprawling · doorstop · tome · chronicle · ambitious · monumental · expansive
- bookstextbooks, study guides, book, paperback, hardcover
- creative worksbooks, autobiography, memoir, diary, journal
- literaturebooks, book, fiction, poetry, stories
- things to readbooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, e-books, newspapers
- British LiteratureShakespeare, Dickens, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Austen
- humanitiesphilosophy, history, literature, philosophy class, humanities
novelsnon-fiction
Writing about real things
memoirs · biographies · autobiographies · histories · journalism
novelsshort stories
Brief prose narratives
flash fiction · vignettes · microfiction · novellas · anecdotes
novelsfilms
Projected motion pictures
movies · oral storytelling · television series · plays · video games
- Victorian novel1837-1901 British long-form fiction
- romance novelistAuthor of love stories
- mystery novelFiction solving a crime
- graphic novelBook-length illustrated sequential narrative
- detective novelFiction solving a crime
- romance novelFiction about romantic love
novel, novelist, novella, novelists, novel's, novelistic, novellas, novelize, novelization