GENRE

Short stories are vignettes of life, compact novelettes, stories of characters, or stories of incident which include the features of a novel: organized action, interaction of characters into an artful plot with a beginning, rising action, climax and denouement, told from a point of view, in the style of fantasy, realism or naturalism. It is how the author manages of all of these literary elements within the imposed limitation which distinguishes the short story art form. The variety of stories involves a continuum ranging as little as 500 words expanding to longer narratives (Abrams, 1971, pp. 158-159).

Familiar short story authors include: Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Anton Chekov, Guy Maupassant, Flannery O'Conner, Ernest Hemmingway, William Faulkner, Stephen Conrad, O'Henry, Shirley Jackson and James Joyce.

By its name, short stories are short. Edgar Allen Poe is credited as "the originator of the short story as a specific genre" (Abrams, 1971, p. 158).

Short Story definition according to Abrams (1971):

"...the short story writer introduces a very limited number of characters, cannot afford the space  for a leisurely analysis and sustained development of character, and cannot undertake to develop a dense and detailed a social milieu [background, setting] as does the novelist. He often begins his story close to, or even on the verge of, the climax, minimizes both prior exposition and the details of the setting, keeps the complications down, and clears up the denouement quickly-sometimes in a few sentences. The central incident is selected to reveal as much as possible of the totality of the protagonist's life and character, and the details are devised to carry maximum significance" (p. 158).

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Abrams, M.H. (1971). A glossary of literary terms. [3rd ed.]. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, pp. 157-159.

Jeopardy answers:

1. What these descriptions describe: vignettes of life, compact novelettes, stories of characters, or stories of incident?
2. Poe was considered the originator of this genre.
3. Authors Jackson, O'Henry, Faulkner, Hemmingway, O'Conner wrote in this form?

Jeopardy Question:

What is Short Story?