Fiction refers to any narrative or literary work that is created from the imagination rather than based entirely on real events. It involves invented characters, settings, and plots designed to entertain, inform, or convey a message. Fiction may sometimes be inspired by real-life incidents but is mostly imaginative in nature. Fiction refers to a literary work which comes from the author’s imagination. Through the fictional narrative, a writer may inform, entertain, inspire, or even persuade (Littlehale, 2020).
Fiction takes many forms, each with its unique style, structure, and purpose. From the lengthy complexity of a novel to the concise wisdom of a fable or parable, fiction offers a wide variety of creative expressions that entertain, educate, and inspire readers across the world.
Major Forms of Fiction
- Novel
- Novella
- Short Story
- Fable
- Myth
- Parable
Short Story
Shorter in length than a novel, a short story is a fictional prose work which usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with a few additional minor characters), and one central theme. It aims at unity of effect and creation of mood rather than on plot. Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Philosophy of Composition” describes a short story as one that “should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to 20,000 words.”
Novel
A novel is a narrative prose work of considerable length that talks about significant human experience. The novel’s beginnings date back to as early as the writing of “Tale of Genji” by Murasaki Shikibu; later, in the early seventeenth century, European novels came to be written (Prahl,2019). A novel is also characterized by the following: (1) written in prose form, (2) considerable length or word count, (3) fictional content, and (4) individualism; that is, it appeals to an individual audience as a reader rather than to a group.
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Novella
A novella is a short work of fiction that is longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. It usually focuses on a single incident, character, or theme and can be read in one or two sittings. The main purpose of a novella is to tell a story in a clear and focused way without extra details. It allows readers to enjoy a complete story in a short time.
Features of a Novella:
- Length is between a short story and a novel
- Usually focuses on one main plot
- Limited number of characters
- Often has a clear beginning, middle, and end
- Deals with a specific theme or idea
- More detailed than a short story but less complex than a novel
Myth
Derived from the Greek mythos, which has a range of meanings from “word,” through “saying” and “story,” to “fiction,” a myth is a symbolic narrative of unknown origin and tells events which are partly traditional and associated with religious beliefs. Myths are specific accounts with gods or superhuman beings as characters involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified, but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience. Mythology, on the other hand, refers to both the study of myth and the body of myths belonging to a particular religious tradition.
Fable
A fable is an instructive story about human social behaviour with personified animals or natural objects as characters and always ends with an explicit moral message. The concept of time and space is also not specific in a fable.
Parable
A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson. It is a type of fiction used to convey important messages about life, behavior, or faith in an easy and understandable way. The main purpose of a parable is to teach people about good behavior, kindness, truth, forgiveness, and other important values. It makes people think deeply and learn from the story.
Features of a Parable:
- Short and simple narrative
- Teaches a moral or religious lesson
- Characters are usually human beings
- Has a clear message or lesson at the end
- Commonly found in religious books like the Bible or the Quran
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