European International Journal of Philological Sciences
37
https://eipublication.com/index.php/eijps
TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
37-39
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
13 June 2025
ACCEPTED
09 July 2025
PUBLISHED
11 August 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 08 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
The Stages of
Development of The
Novella Genre In 20th-
Century European Prose
Samatova Gulnoza
Assistant Lecturer at Uzbekistan
–
Finland Pedagogical Institute, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: The novella, as a distinctive form of short
fiction,
underwent
significant
transformation
throughout the 20th century in European prose. This
article examines the historical and aesthetic stages of its
development, considering the interaction between
traditional narrative structures and the experimental
tendencies of modernism and postmodernism. Drawing
on literary-historical analysis, the study traces the
evolution of the novella from its late 19th-century
realist legacy to the fragmentation and metafictional
strategies of late 20th-century writing. Special attention
is paid to the works of key European authors whose
creative innovations reshaped the novella’s thematic
scope, narrative voice, and structural economy. The
research identifies three broad developmental stages
—
consolidation
of
realist
tradition,
modernist
experimentation, and postmodernist transformation
—
and argues that the novella’s adaptability enabled it to
engage with the cultural, social, and philosophical shifts
of the century. The findings contribute to a deeper
understanding of how the genre maintained its formal
coherence while embracing stylistic diversity, thereby
ensuring its continued relevance in contemporary
literary discourse.
Keywords:
Novella, 20th-century literature, European
prose, modernism, postmodernism, narrative structure,
genre evolution.
Introduction:
The novella has historically occupied a
unique position in European literary tradition,
positioned between the concise precision of the short
story and the expansive scope of the novel. Emerging in
European International Journal of Philological Sciences
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European International Journal of Philological Sciences
its earliest form during the Renaissance and refined
through the 18th and 19th centuries, the novella
developed as a genre characterized by concentrated
narrative action, a limited cast of characters, and a
thematic unity that allowed for both aesthetic focus
and philosophical depth. The 20th century, however,
presented
unprecedented
challenges
and
opportunities for the genre. The socio-political
upheavals of two world wars, the philosophical crises
brought about by the collapse of Enlightenment ideals,
and the formal innovations of modernism and
postmodernism all contributed to reshaping the
novella’s thematic preoccupations and narrative
techniques.
While the novel and short story have been extensively
studied in the context of modernist and postmodernist
transformations, the novella has often remained
marginal in critical discourse, partly because of its
hybrid nature and partly due to the difficulty of
classifying its diverse manifestations. Yet, as this study
will demonstrate, the novella’s ability to adapt to
shifting aesthetic paradigms made it a vital medium for
exploring the complexities of modern European
experience. This article seeks to address the relative
underrepresentation of the novella in genre studies by
providing a systematic account of its development in
the 20th century, focusing on the literary-historical
forces that shaped its form and function.
The aim of this study is to investigate the stages of
development of the novella genre in 20th-century
European prose, with emphasis on the interplay
between inherited narrative conventions and
innovative literary experimentation. By examining
representative works from various national traditions,
the research seeks to identify the primary trends in
structural, thematic, and stylistic evolution, and to
situate these within the broader context of European
cultural history.
The research is grounded in a historical-literary
methodology, combining diachronic and synchronic
approaches to genre analysis. Primary materials
include representative novellas from major European
literary traditions
—
notably German, French, Italian,
Russian, and British
—
selected for their exemplary
contribution to the g
enre’s evolution. Works by
authors such as Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Stefan
Zweig, Albert Camus, Marguerite Yourcenar, Italo
Calvino, and Graham Greene serve as case studies
illustrating key transitional moments in the genre’s
development.
The method of literary-historical analysis is employed
to trace the chronology of thematic and stylistic
transformations, while close reading provides insight
into
narrative
structure,
characterization,
and
symbolism. The comparative method facilitates the
identification of cross-cultural influences and divergent
national tendencies. Critical reception studies and
theoretical works on genre poetics by scholars such as
E. Auerbach, W. Kayser, and M. Bakhtin inform the
conceptual framework, ensuring that the analysis is
situated within established literary theory.
At the outset of the 20th century, the European novella
retained the formal and thematic features inherited
from the late 19th century’s realist and naturalist
traditions. Authors such as Thomas Mann in Germany
and Anatole France in France crafted novellas that
preserved a clear narrative arc, psychologically complex
protagonists, and an emphasis on moral or philosophical
resolution. Mann’s “Tonio Kröger” (1903) exemplifies
this phase, combining the novella’s traditi
onal unity of
action with an introspective exploration of the artist’s
alienation. Similarly, Stefan Zweig’s psychological
novellas, including “Letter from an Unknown Woman”
(1922), exhibit a refinement of realist conventions
through a focus on interiority and emotional intensity.
The first significant shift occurred under the influence of
modernist aesthetics, which sought to fragment and
reconfigure narrative time, reject omniscient narration,
and foreground subjective perception. Franz Kafka’s
“The Metamorphosis” (1915) demonstrates the
capacity of the novella to incorporate surreal and
allegorical elements while retaining structural
concision. Here, the economy of form amplifies the
existential unease and absurdity of the protagonist’s
transformation, aligning with the broader modernist
preoccupation with alienation and the instability of
meaning. In France, Camus’ “The Fall” (1956) similarly
adapts the novella form to philosophical inquiry, using a
monologic narrative to interrogate concepts of guilt,
responsibility, and the absurd.
Modernist experimentation extended beyond thematic
innovation to structural and linguistic experimentation.
Stream-of-consciousness techniques, as employed in
the shorter works of Virginia Woolf, disrupted linear
progression, while symbolic layering and intertextual
allusions
enriched
the
novella’s
interpretive
possibilities. The genre’s relative brevity proved
advantageous for such formal experiments, offering a
controlled narrative space within which to explore
radical departures from traditional plot-driven
storytelling.
The second half of the century witnessed the novella’s
transformation under the influence of postmodernism,
which embraced metafiction, self-referentiality, and the
blurring
of
boundaries
between
reality
and
representation. Italo Calvino’s “The Nonexistent Knight”
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European International Journal of Philological Sciences
(1959) and later works such as “If on a Winter’s Night
a Traveler” (1979) illustrate the novella’s capacity to
engage in playful narrative deconstruction while
maintaining a coherent thematic thread. The
postmodern
novella
often
subverted
reader
expectations,
employing
unreliable
narrators,
fragmented structures, and open endings that
challenged conventional closure.
In Eastern European literatures, particularly in the
works of Milan Kundera and Danil
o Kiš, the novella
became a vehicle for political allegory and
philosophical
reflection
under
conditions
of
censorship. The constraints of length facilitated the
circulation of novellas in literary journals, enabling
them to function as discreet yet potent interventions
in public discourse. The genre’s compression
intensified its impact, allowing complex political
critiques to be embedded within symbolic frameworks
that eluded direct ideological confrontation.
By the end of the 20th century, the novella had
established itself not as a transitional form between
the short story and the novel but as an autonomous
genre capable of accommodating a wide range of
narrative strategies. Its development across the
century can be understood in three broad stages: the
early modern consolidation of realist and psychological
traditions; the mid-century embrace of modernist
fragmentation and philosophical depth; and the late-
century adoption of postmodernist playfulness and
metafictional awareness. In each stage, the novella
demonstrated a remarkable adaptability, responding
to shifts in cultural and intellectual paradigms while
preserving its defining qualities of concision, intensity,
and unity.
The 20th century was a period of unprecedented
dynamism for the European novella, as it navigated the
complex interplay between tradition and innovation.
Initially anchored in the realist and psychological
models inherited from the 19th century, the genre
evolved through modernist experimentation into a
postmodern form characterized by reflexivity and
intertextuality. This evolution reflects the novella’s
responsiveness to broader artistic movements and its
ability to distill the essence of shifting historical
realities into compact yet resonant narratives.
The findings of this study
underscore the novella’s
resilience as a literary form. Far from being a
peripheral or transitional genre, it has proven capable
of engaging with some of the most profound
philosophical, political, and aesthetic questions of the
modern era. Its compact structure not only
accommodates but amplifies thematic complexity,
making it a distinctive and enduring vehicle for literary
innovation. Future research may profitably explore the
novella’s trajectory in the 21st century, particularly in
relation to digital publishing formats and transnational
literary exchanges.
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