1st definition:
|
A short story is a “short piece of
fiction aiming at unity of characterization, theme and effect. |
2nd definition:
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The author of the modern English
short story “no longer attempt to make daily life more entertaining by
inventing exotic plots. Instead, modern short story writers have tended to
base their narratives on their own experience; here the focus is much more
on the less spectacular aspects of life, on the significance underlying
what is apparently trivial. The result of such perceptive writing is
perfection of form, harmony of theme and structure, and precision of style
to reveal the subtleties of the human mind and of human behaviour. |
|
The author of the modern English
short story “no longer attempt to make daily life more entertaining by
inventing exotic plots. Instead, modern short story writers have tended to
base their narratives on their own experience; here the focus is much more
on the less spectacular aspects of life, on the significance underlying
what is apparently trivial. The result of such perceptive writing is
perfection of form, harmony of theme and structure, and precision of style
to reveal the subtleties of the human mind and of human behaviour.
|
|
The author of the modern English
short story “no longer attempt to make daily life more entertaining by
inventing exotic plots. Instead, modern short story writers have tended to
base their narratives on their own experience; here the focus is much more
on the less spectacular aspects of life, on the significance underlying
what is apparently trivial. The result of such perceptive writing is
perfection of form, harmony of theme and structure, and precision of style
to reveal the subtleties of the human mind and of human behaviour. |
|
The author of the modern English
short story “no longer attempt to make daily life more entertaining by
inventing exotic plots. Instead, modern short story writers have tended to
base their narratives on their own experience; here the focus is much more
on the less spectacular aspects of life, on the significance underlying
what is apparently trivial. The result of such perceptive writing is
perfection of form, harmony of theme and structure, and precision of style
to reveal the subtleties of the human mind and of human behaviour. |
3rd definition:
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Many attempts have been made to
define the short story. But on a few points at least, the opinion of most
critics is unanimous. This does not imply that the literary form of the
American short story can be set up in a rigid way. It has undergone and
will probably still undergo many changes as the literary taste and demands
of the reading public also change in the course of time with new outlooks
on life. |
What are some of the elements that make
up a good story?
a) A short story is a piece of prose
fiction which can be read at a single sitting.
b) It ought to combine matter-of-fact description with poetic atmosphere.
c) It ought to present a unified impression of temper, tone, colour,
and effect.
d) It mostly shows a decisive moment of life (which can entail a fatal blow).
e) There is often little action, hardly any character development, but we get a
snapshot of life.
f) Its plot is not very complex (in contrast to the novel), but it creates a
unified impression and leaves us with a vivid sensation rather than a number of
remembered facts.
g) There is
a close connection between the short story and the poem as there is both a
unique union of idea and structure.
The short story is a piece of art
that tries to give us a specified impression of the world we live in. It aims to
produce a single narrative effect with the greatest economy of means and utmost
emphasis.
From :
| http://www.bnv-bamberg.de/home/ulrich.koch/flg/gk_english/short_story/short_story_definition.htm
|
