What is a Short Story?

Debra Adelaide

Many fiction writers almost instinctively commence their careers with the short story, so it is worth reflecting closely on the form. As always, the best rules for writing come from the best writing itself. Authors like Raymond Carver and Alice Munro are much-read and -studied because they have raised the short story to such perfection.

In Australia there is probably no one author known exclusively for this form, though historically, Henry Lawson, Peter Carey and Helen Garner have each made significant contributions. More recently Fiona McFarlane, Georgia Blain, Paddy O’Reilly and several others have kept the short story alive. The popularity of the form was greatly assisted by publications such as the Bulletin, which back in the late 19th century first published Lawson’s short fiction. His story, ‘The Drover’s Wife’, is now such a classic that it has inspired an entire mini-industry of rewritings or reimaginings, the latest of which is Leah Purcell’s film The Drover’s Wife: the Legend of Molly Johnson.

The short story’s enduring appeal is partly due to its flexibility. But is it so flexible that finding a definition of the short story is impossible? Or establishing a few clear rules futile? Taking some examples, almost at random from my bookshelf, shows the immense diversity of the short story, and the first thing that is apparent is that if there are any rules, these have nothing to do with length.

Anthropology (2001), by British author Dan Rhodes, features 101 love stories all written in exactly 100 words. These are wry, sad, macabre, eccentric, emotional, and funny, all narrated by a male narrator expressing the failings, desires, memories, and small triumphs in the process of love. Each tiny story is finely crafted, and cumulatively the effect of the collection is like a quilt, displaying different repetitions of a pattern. In isolation, each story is probably too brief to be satisfying, yet the overall effect is of a chorus on the theme of love.

In Anthropology Rhodes clearly established disciplined thematic and formal rules, and it’s possible to assume this was beneficial when compiling a first book. Such an approach also risks being formulaic or gimmicky, of using effect for the sake of effect, but Rhodes compensates by having a clear narrative arc within each micro-story.

HISTORY OF SHORT STORY

  Short story:

According to Literary critical terms a short story can be defined as:

“A prose narrative of shorter length than the novel that concentrates on a single theme.”

According to Britannica Encyclopedia:

“A short story is a brief fictional prose narrative. It usually presents a single significant episode or scene involving a limited number of characters. A short story concentrates on the creation of mood rather than the telling of a story.”

According to Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms a short story is defined as:

“A fictional prose tale of no specified length, but too short to be published as a volume on its own.”

Short story can also be defined as:

“A kind of story shorter than the novel or novelette, characteristically developing a single central theme and limited in scope and number of characters.”

            There is a common point in above definitions that the short story is a work of prose tale or fiction which is shorter in length but has a central theme. So these short stories are shorter in length but they do have a theme.

The aspects of a Short Story:

            A short story is similar to a novel in many aspects. The elements of a short story includes: plot, character, setting, theme, moral values.

            In short stories the plot is the sequence of events namely; the beginning, middle and end. Characters are people in the story; there could be major characters and minor characters. In short story the setting is the place and the time that where and when a story takes place. The theme is a general idea of what the story is about and the moral values are principles that convey important messages.

Characteristics of a Short Story:

• It is shorter in length and could be read usually in one sitting.
• The information offered in a short story is relevant to the tale being told.
• It is unlike a novel where a story can diverge from the main plot.
• It usually tries to leave behind a single impression or effect.
• As these stories are concise so, the writers depend on the reader bringing personal experiences and prior knowledge to the story.
• The authority of the narrator is questioned while writing a short story.
• In terms of language patterning of symbols, multiplicity of voices, indirect language, and stream of consciousness are the techniques which are followed by the modern writers.

Conflict as an important element:

            Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces in a short story. There could be an external conflict in which a character struggles against some outside force or there could be an internal conflict which exists within the mind of the character. The common applications in a conflict could be:

• Man vs man.
• Man vs self.
• Man vs nature.
• Man vs society.
• Man vs technology.
• Man vs fate.