novella / amendment
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novella
A literary genre for a short to medium-length prose narrative that usually focuses on a single extraordinary event.
Im Deutschunterricht haben wir Kleists Novelle „Michael Kohlhaas“ analysiert.
In German class, we analyzed Kleist's novella 'Michael Kohlhaas'.
amendment
In legal usage, a change to a law or a supplementary law to an already existing law.
Die Regierung plant eine Novelle des Datenschutzgesetzes.
The government is planning an amendment to the data protection law.
Careful: 'Die Novelle' (the novella) is not the same as the English word 'novel'. A German 'Novelle' is a short narrative. An English 'novel' is 'der Roman' in German.
„Die Verwandlung“ von Kafka ist eine berühmte Novelle.
'The Metamorphosis' by Kafka is a famous novella.
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'Novelle' from the context. In connection with literature, authors, or school lessons, it refers to the narrative. In the context of laws, politics, or parliament, it refers to the legal amendment.
Wir lesen gerade eine Novelle von Theodor Storm.
We are currently reading a novella by Theodor Storm.
In a literary context, a novella is typically 'gelesen' (read), 'geschrieben' (written), 'analysiert' (analyzed), or 'interpretiert' (interpreted).
Für die Schule mussten wir eine Novelle interpretieren.
For school, we had to interpret a novella.
The meaning 'Gesetzesänderung' (legal amendment) belongs to the technical language of lawyers and politicians. In normal everyday life, this word is hardly ever used for that.
Die Experten diskutieren über die Details der geplanten Novelle.
The experts are discussing the details of the planned amendment.
novel
Roman and Novelle are both fictional prose works, but they usually differ in length and focus. A Roman develops a longer, more complex plot with several characters and developments, while a Novelle tends to focus on a single extraordinary event. Use „Roman“ for a substantial work and „Novelle“ for a more concentrated narrative.
Die Novelle konzentriert sich auf den einen außergewöhnlichen Unfall und seine Folgen.
The novella focuses on the one extraordinary accident and its consequences.
Der Roman erzählt auf fünfhundert Seiten die Geschichte einer Familie über mehrere Generationen.
The novel tells the story of a family over several generations in five hundred pages.
