A novella is a work of narrative prose fiction that falls in length and complexity between a short story and a novel, typically defined by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association as being between 17,500 and 40,000 words. The term originates from the Italian "novella," meaning a new or true short story, and the genre began flourishing in Italian literature during the early Renaissance. Its development is famously attributed to Giovanni Boccaccio, who published The Decameron in 1353, a collection of 100 "novellas" told by people fleeing the Black Death.

This structure influenced many subsequent authors, including Marguerite de Navarre and Miguel de Cervantes, whose Novelas ejemplares (1613) brought greater depth to character and social background. Later, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, German writers further established the "Novelle" as a distinct genre, often focusing on a single, suspenseful event leading to an unexpected turning point. Though modern novellas offer more complex conflicts than short stories and are often designed for a single reading, in English-speaking countries, the term is frequently used interchangeably with "short novel."