A 

novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as

a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the Italian: novella for
"new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself from the Latin: novella, a singular noun use of
the neuter plural of novellus, diminutive of novus, meaning "new".[1]
Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne,[2] Herman Melville,[3] Ann Radcliffe,[4] John Cowper
Powys,[5] preferred the term "romance" to describe their novels.
According to Margaret Doody, the novel has "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two
thousand years", with its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman novel, in Chivalric romance, and in
the tradition of the Italian renaissance novella.[6] The ancient romance form was revived
by Romanticism, especially the historical romances of Walter Scott and the Gothic novel.[7] Some,
including M. H. Abrams and Walter Scott, have argued that a novel is a fiction narrative that displays
a realistic depiction of the state of a society, while the romance encompasses any fictitious narrative
that emphasizes marvellous or uncommon incidents.[8][9][10]
Works of fiction that include marvellous or uncommon incidents are also novels, including The Lord
of The Rings,[11] To Kill a Mockingbird,[12] and Frankenstein.[13] "Romances" are works of fiction whose
main emphasis is on marvellous or unusual incidents, and should not be confused with the romance
novel, a type of genre fiction that focuses on romantic love.
Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, an early 11th-century Japanese text, has sometimes been
described as the world's first novel, but there is considerable debate over this — there were certainly
long fictional works that preceded it. Spread of printed books in China led to the appearance
of classical Chinese novels by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). An early example from Europe was
written in Muslim Spain by the Sufi writer Ibn Tufayl entitled Hayy ibn Yaqdhan.[14] Later
developments occurred after the invention of the printing press. Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don
Quixote (the first part of which was published in 1605), is frequently cited as the first significant

Poetry uses forms and conventions to suggest differential interpretations of words, or to

evoke emotive responses. Devices such as assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhythm may
convey musical or incantatory effects. The use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony, and
other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations.
Similarly, figures of speech such as metaphor, simile, and metonymy[5] establish a resonance
between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not
perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between individual verses, in their patterns of
rhyme or rhythm.
Some poetry types are unique to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the
language in which the poet writes. Readers accustomed to identifying poetry
with Dante, Goethe, Mickiewicz, or Rumi may think of it as written in lines based on rhyme and
regular meter. There are, however, traditions, such as Biblical poetry, that use other means to create
rhythm and euphony. Much modern poetry reflects a critique of poetic tradition,[6] testing the principle
of euphony itself or altogether forgoing rhyme or set rhythm.[7][8] In an increasingly globalized world,
poets often adapt forms, styles, and techniques from diverse cultures and languages. Poets have
contributed to the evolution of the linguistic, expressive, and utilitarian qualities of their languages.
A Western cultural tradition (extending at least from Homer to Rilke) associates the production of
poetry with inspiration – often by a Muse (either classical or contemporary).