Narratives: Short Story

Question 1

What is the history and evolution of the short story?

Answer 1

Origins: Rooted in oral traditions, such as Arabian Nights and Canterbury Tales (multiple stories framed together).

19th Century: Rise of literacy, journals, and newspapers popularized shorter narratives alongside novels.

Key Figures:

• Sir Walter Scott (The Two Droves, 1827): Father of the modern short story
• Edgar Allan Poe: Revolutionized short stories with concise, psychologically rich tales
• Anton Chekhov: Focused on psychological depth and less on plot climax
• Robert Louis Stevenson and H.G. Wells: Popularized the short story in British literature, e.g., The Jungle Book (Kipling) and War of the Worlds (Wells).

Question 2

What makes Edgar Allan Poe a pivotal figure in short story history?

Answer 2

Key Philosophy:

• Every word should contribute to a single, pre-established effect, creating a sense of “totality” and “true unity.”

Famous Works:

• The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Gold Bug (an early detective story).

Impact:

• Defined the short story as a compact narrative to be read in one sitting, prioritizing psychological intensity and event-driven plots.

Question 3

What are the Markers of short stories?

Answer 3

1. Special beginnings (unvermittelbarer Einstieg)

• this genre is typical for special beginnings
• in medias res (lat. in the middle of things)
• in ultima res (lat. in the end of things)
• ab ovo (lat. from the very beginning)

2. Condensed narrative (Narrative Situation) → Discourse

3. Concentration on one scene or situation → Plot/Story

4. Omissions / lacuna(e)

• according to Poe there are no accidental gaps in the plot
• something is left out for a reason
• if there are gaps they are planned → intended gap(s) = lacuna(e)

5. Protagonist = outsider (ethnicity, class…)

• few protagonists
• round characters (dynamic and rich in personality)
• flat characters (simple construction)
• static characters (do not change)
• dynamic characters (change)
• foil character (antagonist, contrast to protagonist)
• complemenatry character (you need both to work, e.g. sherlock and watson)

6. Epiphany

• big realization

7. “Open ending”

Question 4

What types of short stories exist?

Answer 4

Initiation Story (Rite of Passage)

• Characters get to know something new
• at least one character needs to change positions → exchange one status
• they go through a development and gain a drastic new insight

Slice-of-Life-Story

• short window into their protagonists life

Plot-Story

• focused on the actual plot
• example: detective stories or horror stories
• initiation: beginning - middle - ending