[Ads-l] Shifting connotations: Is novelette derogatory?

[Jonathan Lighter]

I agree.

FWIW.

JL

On Wed, Jun 17, 2015 at 12:30 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Shifting connotations: Is novelette derogatory?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The Oxford Dictionaries website has an entry for the noun "novelette"
> with the description "chiefly derogatory":
>
> http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/novelette
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Novelette noun
> chiefly derogatory
> A short novel, typically one that is light and romantic or sentimental
> in character.
> [End excerpt]
>
> In the domain of science fiction I do not think that "novelette" is
> derogatory. The term is used to indicate the length of a story, and it
> does not have a negative connotation.
>
> Below is an excerpt from a webpage of the Science Fiction and fantasy
> Writers of America (SFWA) website. The excerpt is about story lengths
> for the Nebula Awards which are the primary honors bestowed by the
> SFWA.
>
> http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/rules/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Nebula Awards will be made in the following categories:
>      1) Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
>      2) Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
>      3) Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
>      4) Novel: 40,000 words or more.
> [End excerpt]
>
> I have read/heard the term "novelette" most frequently in discussions
> of genre fiction, and it has been used without derogative intent (I
> think).
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org