Talk:Novelette

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	This article is part of WikiProject Novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to narrative novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the General Project Discussion to talk over new ideas and suggestions.
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The categories given in the article are much too neat. There are overlaps between them, and I know that some would say a novel is at least 60/70K long, rather than 40K minimum. --MacRusgail 19:43, 17 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Classifications arbitrary

Who decided there's a form of literature called an "epic"? Short stories, novels, plays ... those are well-established and well-defined. Could we please get a citation for what constitutes an "epic"? And also for what literary body decided on those word counts? Since when have very brief short stories become "flash fiction"? Citations please! — Tenebrae 18:47, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Epic is generally used to describe a long narrative poem. It has a very loose definition, and I dont think anyone has really decided on a word count, just long. In the meantime, im sad to see the word count chart disapear as it did make a good guide for anyone who is a writer.

Noone would find the chart, anyway, as it was buried in this article. If it belongs at all it belongs in a parent article to all the categories. - Randwicked Alex B 03:01, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Get a life. All of you.

Below is directly from googles define feature: "Epic A long narrative poem, told in a formal, elevated style, that focuses on a serious subject and chronicles heroic deeds and events important to a culture or nation. Milton’s Paradise Lost, which attempts to "justify the ways of God to man," is an epic" (Meyer). www.cocc.edu/lisal/literaryterms/d_h.htm

[edit] External link removed

• Definition of "Novelette", from About.com. (Accessed 4/11/06)

Various about.com, reference.com, etc. are not valid references: they are of no higher authority than wikipedia and ridden with their own problems. (not to say that we would't want to be a free link-farm for our competition here :-) `'mikka (t) 00:00, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

When In school I learned that Epic did not have to do with size but content. I supose in theory an epic could exsist that was only 3,000 words. Also that epics are culturaly tied to society and these ties have to be developed overtime so Epics have staying power. Some epics might include Mahabrata, Neibulunglied, Dante's trilogy (I can't rember the name for the three just the Inferno) (And I know I am botching the spelling on these)

I was also told that the american epic is the story of the cowboy but which title I do not know(perhaps it needs more time for one to sift though but everyone knows the basic storyline: good guy rogue cowboy or lawman maybe with a white hat; Bad guy; Good guy chases bad guy; add a girl and maybe a kid; Some shooting; someone dies.) Sound failar? I could be talking aboult dozens of books or movies. It's only a mater of which one is the crown jewel as to be the one to have epic status. But the cultural identiy is there and I think that is what defines an epic. Also I think and epic can change in small details over time So one could argue that the author of an epic isn't one person but the culture it comes from. (Maybe wikipedia will be our 21 century epic jk)