Fable vs. Novel — What's the Difference?

Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be added explicitly as a concise maxim or saying. A fable differs from a parable in that the latter excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech or other powers of humankind.

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".Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ann Radcliffe, John Cowper Powys, preferred the term "romance" to describe their novels.

A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.

A fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters.

A story about legendary persons and exploits.

The literary genre represented by novels.

A falsehood; a lie.

Strikingly new, unusual, or different.

To recount as if true.

Newly made, formed or evolved; having no precedent; of recent origin; new.

To compose fables.

Original, especially in an interesting way; new and striking; not of the typical or ordinary type.

A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables.

A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella.

Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.

(historical) A fable; a short tale, especially one of many making up a larger work.

Fiction; untruth; falsehood.

(obsolete) A novelty; something new.

The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.

A new legal constitution in ancient Rome.

To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true.

Of recent origin or introduction; not ancient; new; hence, out of the ordinary course; unusual; strange; surprising.

To make up; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely; to recount in the form of a fable.

That which is new or unusual; a novelty.

A Feigned story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept; an apologue. See the Note under Apologue.

News; fresh tidings.

The plot, story, or connected series of events, forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.

A fictitious tale or narrative, longer than a short story, having some degree of complexity and development of characters; it is usually organized as a time sequence of events, and is commonly intended to exhibit the operation of the passions, and often of love.

Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.

A extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story

Fiction; untruth; falsehood.

A printed and bound book that is an extended work of fiction;

To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction ; to write or utter what is not true.

Of a kind not seen before;

To feign; to invent; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely.

Pleasantly novel or different;

A deliberately false or improbable account

A short moral story (often with animal characters)

A story about mythical or supernatural beings or events