Short story: Definition and History. A short story like any other term does not have only one definition, it has many definitions, but all of them are similar in a general idea. According to The World Book Encyclopedia (1994, Vol. 12, L-354), “the short story is a short work of fiction that usually centers around a single incident. Because of its shorter length, the characters and situations are fewer and less complicated than those of a novel.” In the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (third edition) short story is defined as “an invented story which is no more than about 10 000 words in length.” At the same time online Britannica Encyclopaedia (www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541698/short-story, 21.02.2012; 12:04 p.m.) …show more content…
If to speak in general, short stories have no set length. According to The World Book Encyclopedia ( 1994, Vol.12, L-354), “ a short story may range in length from a short story of 1,000 to 1,500 words to a novelette, or short novel, of 12,000 to 30,000 words.” Like the novel, the short story 's predominant shape reflects the demands of the available markets for publication, and the evolution of the form seems closely tied to the evolution of the publishing industry and the submission guidelines of its constituent houses.
“Short stories have their basic elements, all of them they share with longer works of fiction. These basic elements are setting, conflict, plot, character development, theme and point of view. All stories have some version of all of these elements although not necessarily in the most literal manner. A story’s main “characters” could be even bacterial cells or pieces of furniture, for example. Literature is flexible and open to experimentation.” (www.ehow.com/info_7890707_basic-elements-short-stories.html )
According to the site which was mentioned above, “a story’s setting is more than just its physical location. It includes the time in which the story takes place, whether it’s the interval of an hour or a lifetime and whether it takes place in modern times, the future or the distant past. Setting refers to the world where the characters exist. This world includes things such as weather, architecture, social
Short stories are entertaining for the audience and the readers. They are not as lengthy as a regular story, but still as intriguing as a regular story. James Hurst has used short stories to entertain his readers for a long time. James Hurst uses diverse literary elements for every altered book he writes. James Hurst uses figurative language, mood, and plot to describe the theme and entertain his readers in The Scarlet Ibis.
Short stories range from fantasy to realistic plots. They give a full range of emotions and feelings that tell a story. Some short stories have a sorrowful mood, but are filled with hope and persistent characters. The short story, “The Scarlet Ibis”, has a sorrowful storyline, but throughout gives you hope. In the short story , “The Scarlet Ibis”, the brother is illustrated as selfish, devoted, and hopeful of his brother Doodle, through the use of figurative language, and diction.
The short story that has the best quality off literary fiction would be, The Rocking-Horse Winner by D H Lawrence, a story about a young boy trying to win his mother’s love by seeking the luck she thinks she does not have also, wanting to give her the luxurious lifestyle she dreams of by betting on horse races he begins to make money to hopefully make everything better. This short story represents setting, plot, theme, symbol and character very well. Without these main points of emphasis being made a short story would have no structure so that’s what I feel is most important.
The short story, as with other literary forms, is not defined by its actual parameters. Subject and theme may be as varied as those within full-length novels, just as the author's individual style plays an inevitable role in shaping the work. That said, there is a common element uniting short stories; they usually create impact due to the brevity itself, which authors typically rely on to make a more direct impression. Condensed, the form offers more overt power, and this is evident in how William Faulkner and Edgar Allan Poe employ it to achieve distinctly Gothic effects. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are very different stories set in very different worlds, and the tone of the narration in each is equally
how stories are what make this world come to life literally. Which connects directly to short
Modern teens tend to use shortened texts, to communicate and get to the point as fast as possible. Looking at all the short stories given, teens would approach and choose the shorter text to read. The reason is, that the teens are used to seeing short paragraphs, and try to put all the ideas into a small simple text. If the text is too long, the teenage brain will start to wonder around, because it does not grab their attention. The longer the text, the more boring it gets. When seeing a 55 word story, teens will take the 50 seconds to read it. If modern teenagers are told to pick a short story, the shorter one would most likely be their first option.
A narrative essay “describes events that people want to share with readers”. Some events may include a traumatic event, a life-lesson learned, or a triumph, the options are limitless. A narrative must have a beginning, middle, and end to reach the reader and not confuse them. Metaphors and other parts of speech are often used to allow the reader to get an accurate understanding of what the author is trying to pursue. The objective of a narrative is to tell one story with a purpose, not a list of stories to connect to the main story, or else the reader will be confused
There are many components involved when analyzing a short story such as, main characters, point of view, plot, theme, and setting. Sometimes the answer is in black and white and other times it takes critical thinking to come up with a response. Some short stories have an important real life lesson while others are simply easy to relate to. Symbolism also plays a role in short stories by giving an event, object, or words being said a deeper meaning than the surface that brings importance to the story. “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubus, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, and “An Ounce of Cure” by Alice Munro are stories that contain most of the components of analyzing short stories.
The short story consists of both short sentences and long sentences. The sentences are short when something dramatic happens and the short sentences make it more dramatic and interesting to read
A short story is a work of literature that is shorter than a novel. Although some may believe the length may not be enough to develop a noble story, in these few pages an author can pack a tight punch that will leave one in awe, disgust, or utter sadness. Whether there is a moral of the story or it is simply for the reader’s enjoyment, each author has their own style of conveying a message through their work in very diverse ways. Through Flannery O’Connor and Chuck Palahniuk’s works we can see this very evidently.
The most important part of the short story is to have a setting. The setting gives you clues that what the characters are doing to give impact of the scene. For an example “ The room, through the doors and windows were open, was oppressively hot.” lines (17-18) The protagonist of the short story is James Clarence Withencroft. He wakes up on a hot summer morning living by himself. It takes place in
Merrian-Webster Dictionary defines a short story as “a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel.” Yet, doing so is more complicated. A writer creating a novella does not have the capacity as a novelist creating a tedious book. In order capture a reader’s attention and to relay the theme of the story, a writer uses writing techniques. In short stories such as “Button Button”, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, authors Mathisen, Poe, and Doyle use literary devices to strengthen the story or theme.
The short story is a concise form of narrative prose that is usually simpler and more direct compared to longer works of fiction such as novels. Therefore, because of their short length, short stories rely on many forms of literary devices to convey the idea of a uniform theme seen throughout the script. This theme is illustrated by using characteristics that are developed throughout the story such as, plot, setting and characters. The three main components are developed throughout the story in order to guide the reader to the underlying theme, which is necessary as a short story lacking a theme also lacks meaning or purpose.
But all in all my opinion is that the story features many typical elements and you can definitely call it a short
A Story is a creation of a creative and imaginative mind. Whatever kind of story it may be it takes a big deal of creativity to come up with an intriguing story that keeps the reader as well as listener interested in the story. Stories have been one of the oldest means of entertainment in our society. Everyone in their childhood has asked their parents to tell them a story at one point or another in their lives. The reason behind this is that stories captivate our mind and make us think what we would have done if we were in the shoes of characters in the story.