What are Short Stories?
Short Story, n. "A piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words." (dictionary.com)
Short Stories are stories that are shorter than novellas (Novella- a small novel), but still have a story-line concept. The number one defining feature for a short story is that it has only one conflict. A novel has multiple conflicts, and a poem is a very small piece of writing. That is why it stands out from the others enough that it gets its own category. All kinds of Short Stories exist out there, all sharing the same genres as novels. For those who don't have the patience to read a novel, but still have an interest in some of the topics, this might be for them. Because in the novels section I've already given an overview of the different genres of literature, I'm only going to show a limited selection of examples below.
Short Stories are stories that are shorter than novellas (Novella- a small novel), but still have a story-line concept. The number one defining feature for a short story is that it has only one conflict. A novel has multiple conflicts, and a poem is a very small piece of writing. That is why it stands out from the others enough that it gets its own category. All kinds of Short Stories exist out there, all sharing the same genres as novels. For those who don't have the patience to read a novel, but still have an interest in some of the topics, this might be for them. Because in the novels section I've already given an overview of the different genres of literature, I'm only going to show a limited selection of examples below.
Realistic-fictionThe author Ernest Hemingway had a very interesting way of writing. What he would do is he would use his character Nick Adams to show experiences that he had either been through or show experiences that were based off something he went through. Overall, his realistic fiction would leave readers trying to figure out the hidden meaning. Hemingway enjoyed adding all of the elemnts of fiction into his stories, especially symbolism. The tiniest thing could actually be a symbol of something else, and unless the rader read really closely, they would miss it.
HorrorAs well as everything else, I bring up Edgar Allan Poe (yes, he's one of my favorite authors). His short stories are extremely famous and have set the standards for modern horror writers today. With the way he cut sentences to give a sense of insanity within characters and the dark mood lingering within the sentence structures, if his writing doesn't frighten the reader then at least it gives them something to think about.
Science-fictionIn the renowned short story Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the author uses an extremely unique style of writing. In order to define the character, he writes as they would throughout their advances in intelligence in order to give a sense as to how they would think when asked to recall their day. He starts with writing from the point of view of a mentally handicapped person, then eventually reaches a point where he's writing like the next medical prodigy, and yet it's the same character. His style and storyline is so unique and famous that Flowers for Algernon has sold millions of copies. It's definetely worth the read.
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