Opera And Ballet

Opera and ballet are skeletal stories, told live in extremely intense ways, with maximum pomp and circumstance.

Madam Butterfly, for example, a gilded age classic written by Puccini that debuted in 1904, has only about 11,000 words (with considerable repetition), less than a novella, although more than a typical short story, which is fitting as it can't quite decide if it is a two act opera or a three act opera.

Pop songs are typically two to four minutes and have 300 to 700 words (often with considerable repetition), but are often recorded and are often presented with less pomp. Even a whole album of pop songs, to the extent that people make them anymore, typically has fewer words than a typical short story.

The intense focus these culture genres place on an elemental basic idea or story is part of what makes these works primal and emotionally powerful.

In contrast, a typical single volume novel has 70,000 to 100,000 words, often is made up of several volumes, and tells a much more fleshed out story with multiple intertwined parallel plot lines. It too is powerful storytelling, but in a more cerebral way.