The Short Story in Brief

Forerunners of the Short Story

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Parables

• Fables

• Folk Tales

• Ballads

2

Development of the Modern

Short Story

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Carefully contrived literary form

• Dates from the 19th century

• Closely related to the rise of these and other popular periodicals

3

Washington Irving (1783-1849)

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• 1st important

American short

story writer

• Laid the

foundation for the

development of the

short story

4

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Influential in the

development of

the short story

• One of America’s

most important

writers

• Wrote more than

100 short stories

and sketches

5

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Gave 1st definition of short story

• Clearly laid the basic principle of all art – the principle of artistic unity

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Poe and Artistic Unity

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Poe’s essential

characteristics

of the short

story:

– brevity

– unity

– intensity

Poe’s definition of artistic unity:

That condition of a successful literary

work whereby all its elements work

together for the achievement of its

central purpose.

In an artistically unified work nothing is

included that is irrelevant to the

central purpose, nothing is omitted that

is essential to it, and the parts are

arranged in the most effective order for

the achievement of that purpose.

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Equation of Literary Eleme

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Plot +

• Setting +

• Characterization +

• Title +

• Point of view +

• Symbol =

____________

THEME

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Common Themes of Modern

Short Stories (19th -20th Century)

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Anxiety

• Doubt

• Frustration

• Restlessness

• Modern war

• Space exploration

• Computer technology

• Social Criticism

• Psychological

Maladjustment

• Breakdown of human

relationships

• Philosophical

searching

• Unhappy people - lost

guideposts of

conduct and morality

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Main Theme of Modern American

Short Stories

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• The impact of

harried American

society on inner

lives of its people

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Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• ONE FLEW OVER THE CUKOO’S NEST

• Ken Kessey (60s)

• Fight Club

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Main theme of postmodern short

stories (1960-1980’s)

Pr AFKINICH The Short Story in Brief

• Deconstruction

– Overturning of accepted definitions of

and values about existing systems of

education, religion, legislation,

economy, or any other aspect of life and

society.

• Two stories with postmodern

themes

– Graham Greene’s “The Destructors”

– Eudora Welty’s “Everyday Use”

Deconstruction

by R. Skoracki

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