Defining the Short Story: Characteristics and Distinction from Other Literary Genres
Overview
This essay defines the short story genre and explores its unique characteristics that distinguish it from other literary forms, particularly novels. The paper argues that short stories are unified prose narratives readable in a single sitting that tackle singular issues comprehensively without subplots, cover diverse thematic content beyond romance, and often reflect authorial originality based on lived experience.
What this essay covers
- Definition and basic characteristics of short stories as complete prose fiction readable in one sitting
- Unity of action: examination of how short stories maintain narrative cohesion without subplots, contrasted with novels
- Thematic scope and originality: discussion of subject matter diversity and authorial authenticity in short story writing
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Defining the Short Story
Communication is an integral part of human life as people need to communicate different issues. Sometimes stories exist, and people have to share them through various communication ways. This also depends on whether the story is relevant for future reference. At the same time, creative people use stories to entertain and inform the world about different issues. In such cases, people use different types of story genres to record the stories. Among the genres are short stories, which have unique characteristics from the rest. This essay defines the genre of short stories and explains what is unique about them.
A short story refers to a prose piece of fiction that can be read within a single sitting. These stories often excite one feeling, reactions, or mood because they present one thing (Baldwin, 27). It is among the oldest artistic creativity that harbors stories of myths, heroes, legends, and community histories. Therefore, short stories are often short to allow their reading within a sitting.
As much as short stories have less than 20000 words, they have a unity that cannot be found in large pieces like novels. Short stories tell a complete story that is not interrupted. Unlike other genres, short stories begin a story of a certain subject or character and tell the full story without disruption. It fulfills the French three false unities of the drama of one action, one place, and one day (Matthews 16).