a brief history of the short story forerunners of the short story parables fables folk tales ballads
TRANSCRIPT
A Brief History of the Short Story
Forerunners of the Short Story Parables
Fables Folk Tales
Ballads
Development of the Modern Short Story
Carefully contrived literary form
Dates from the 19th century
Closely related to the rise of these and other popular periodicals
Washington Irving (1783-1849) 1st important
American short story writer
Laid the foundation for the development of the short story
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
Influential in the development of the short story
One of America’s most important writers
Wrote more than 100 short stories and sketches
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) 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
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.
Equation of Literary Elements
Plot + Setting +
Characterization + Title +
Point of view + Symbol = ____________
THEME
Common Themes of Modern Short Stories (19th -20th
Century) 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
Main Theme of Modern American Short Stories
The impact of harried American society on inner lives of its people
Main theme of postmodern short stories (1960-1980’s)
Deconstruction by R. Skoracki
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”