In this article we will talk about how the novel differs from the story. First, let's define these genres, and then compare them.
What is a novel and a story
A fairly large prose work of art is called a novel . This genre belongs to the epic. There can be several main characters, and their life is directly related to historical events. In addition, the novel tells about the whole life of the characters or about some significant part of it.
The story is a literary work in prose, which usually tells about some important episode in the life of the hero. Acting characters are usually few, with the main being only one of them. Also, the volume of the story is limited and should not exceed about 100 pages.
Comparison
And yet, how is the novel different from the story? Let's start with the novel form. So, this genre involves the image of large-scale events, the versatility of the plot, a very large time frame, which includes the entire chronology of the narrative. The novel has one main storyline and several secondary ones that are closely intertwined into a compositional whole.
The ideological component is manifested in the behavior of the heroes, the disclosure of their motives. The action of the novel takes place on a historical or descriptive background, affecting a wide range of psychological, ethical and worldview problems.
The novel has several subspecies: psychological, social, adventure, detective, etc.
Now consider the story in more detail. In the works of this genre, the development of events is limited to a specific place and time. The personality of the main character and fate is revealed in 1-2 episodes, which are turning points for his life.
The plot in the story is one, but there may be several unexpected twists that give it versatility and depth. All actions are connected with the main character. In such works there are no pronounced bindings to history or socio-cultural events.
The problems of prose are much narrower than in the novel. Usually it is associated with morality, ethics, personal formation, the manifestation of personal qualities in extreme and unusual conditions.
The story is divided into subgenres: detective, fantastic, historical, adventure, etc. It is rare to find a psychological story in the literature, but satirical and fabulous are very popular.
What is the difference between the novel and the story: conclusions
To summarize:
- The novel reflects social and historical events, and in the story they serve only as a backdrop for the story.
- The life of the characters in the novel appears in a socio-psychological or historical context. And in the story, the image of the protagonist can be revealed only in certain circumstances.
- In the novel, there is one main plot and several secondary ones that form a complex structure. The story in this regard is much simpler and not complicated by additional storylines.
- The action of the novel takes place in a large time period, and the story in a very limited period.
- The novel problems include a large number of questions, and the story touches on only a few of them.
- The heroes of the novel express worldview and social ideas, and in the story, the inner world of the character and his personal qualities are important.
Novels and novels: examples
We list the works that are examples of novels :
- "Belkin's Tale" (Pushkin);
- “Spring Water” (Turgenev);
- “Poor Lisa” (Karamzin).
Among the novels are the following:
- The Noble Nest (Turgenev);
- The Idiot (Dostoevsky);
- “Anna Karenina” (L. Tolstoy).
So, we found out how the novel differs from the story. In short, the difference boils down to the scale of a literary work.