Literature is an excellent way to convey messages to readers. Short stories are a form of literature that contain elements similar to those in novels, plays, and other works of literature. Although everyone is capable of writing a short story, not everyone is able to produce a good short story. It are the components within a story that sets some authors apart from others. Even so, there is always room for improvement as every short story has its strengths and weaknesses. In the short story “The Great Minu” written by Beth Wilson, the theme, use of dramatic irony, and imagery were nicely incorporated, whereas the conflict and character development could use some improvement. Another short story written nicely was “A Rupee Earned” by I.F. Bulatkin, which had nicely …show more content…
These short stories show how the use or absence of certain elements either enhance or weaken a piece of writing. Certain elements like the theme, use of dramatic irony, and imagery were the strengths in the short story, “The Great Minu.” The dominant theme in the story was appreciation. The author uses the poor farmer to show that you should always be happy with what you have. When the farmer visits Accra, he is never envious of Minu for all his wealth. Instead, he leaves the town appreciating all that he has. After believing that a wealthy man called Minu died like a poor person, he had learned to be content to live a simple life. I think that this theme fits well into the storyline as it compare the lives of the lower and upper classes from different towns, while proving that you do not have to be rich to be happy. Although the plot was simple, I also liked how the author used dramatic irony to make the reader more interested. While the farmer was unaware that Minu was not actually a person, the reader is told that the people in Accra could not understand what he was saying as they spoke a different language. I believe that the use of dramatic irony
Elements that make for the best literary short story are character, meaning, tone and tension. These four literary elements make your story have a plot. These elements also contribute to your story’s purpose and ambition. The short stories we have read this semester integrate these elements, making successful and literary filled works.
"Unit 2: Reading & Writing About Short Fiction." ENGL200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 49-219. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The short story “Good Country People,” uses irony in many ways. But the clear use of irony is portrayed in the story through O’Connors use of character names. The use of irony is presented when characters names contradict what the character represents. In “Good Country People,” O’Connor uses these names to figuratively and literally describe the four main character’s and their flaws.
“Short Stories." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 127. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. 125-388. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. VALE - Mercer County Community College. 28 February 2014
Short stories are temporary portals to another world; there is a plethora of knowledge to learn from the scenario, and lies on top of that knowledge are simple morals. Langston Hughes writes in “Thank You Ma’m” the timeline of a single night in a slum neighborhood of an anonymous city. This “timeline” tells of the unfolding generosities that begin when a teenage boy fails an attempted robbery of Mrs. Jones. An annoyed bachelor on a British train listens to three children their aunt converse rather obnoxiously in Saki’s tale, “The Storyteller”. After a failed story attempt, the bachelor tries his hand at storytelling and gives a wonderfully satisfying, inappropriate story. These stories are laden with humor, but have, like all other stories, an underlying theme. Both themes of these stories are “implied,” and provide an excellent stage to compare and contrast a story on.
... In Teaching Short Fiction 9.2 (2009): 102-108. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Wilson, Kathleen, ed. Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories. Vol 2. Michigan: Gale Research, 1997.
A good story is one that isn't demanding, that proceeds from A to B, and above all doesn't remind us of the bad times, the cardboard patches we used to wear in our shoes, the failed farms, the way people you love just up and die. It tells us instead that hard work and perseverance can overcome all obstacles; it tells lie after lie, and the happy ending is the happiest lie of all. (85)
Throughout the course of this class, there have been many assignments involving short stories, however, Hands by Sherwood Anderson is a short story that I found intriguing. Hands is a short story about a man who was an educator who loved his student and his career. Later in his career he was wrongfully accused of molesting a young boy and as a punishment he was severely beaten by the boy’s father and run out of town. Sherwood Anderson published this short story in 1919 and in my opinion wrote a story that evokes every component in which a short story should contain. According to Wikipedia a short story is generally written in narrative prose and falls under 7,500 words, making short story writing an art because it must contain so many components to create and complete story.
The nature of human communication requires that only a certain number of details may be expressed. A photograph leaves out what is beyond its frame, statistical data generalizes answers into categories to make results meaningful, and words distinguish between specific concepts to present ideas. The author of a written work chooses the details to express not only what they want, but how they want the audience to feel about it. I will analyze what the author chooses to include and to ignore in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway.
Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and established traditions, reject history, experiment, remove relativity, remove any literal meaning, and create an identity that is fluid. The rejection of history sought to provide a narrative that could be completely up for interpretation. Any literal meaning no longer existed nor was it easily given; essence became synonymous. Narrative was transformed. Epic stories, like “Hills Like White Elephants”, could occur in the sequence of a day. Stories became pushed by a flow of thoughts. The narrative became skeptical of linear plots, preferring to function in fragments. These fragments often led to open unresolved inconclusive endings. This echoes in the short story’s format. The short story functions in fragmented dialogue. Focusing on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Creating characters with unfixed, mixed views to challenge readers.
What elements are needed to create a good short story? As John Dufrense quoted "A good story has a visionary quality, a personal voice, a signature gesture(1969). The elements used should be used so strongly that it pulls you in; forcing you to connect to the people in the story. Not every story is written well enough to be capable of doing this. This also creates a connection with the reader; leaving some type of effect or impacting the reader along with the characters’ lives. Although there are many elements in writing but one of the greatest things of writing is the ability to make the reader empathize with the characters. This goes beyond than just a connection with the characters; when the reader is able to apprehend with the characters he or she is truly relating and reaching out to them. The author has accomplished something truly special when the reader has the ability to feel the agony that a character is feeling.
Eileen Baldeshwiler’s “The Lyric Short Story” discusses the two different branches of short story—the “epical” and the “lyrical” (231). Baldeshwiler highlights the separate functions of the forms by focusing on their stylistic differences. The epical short story, according to Baldeshwiler, relies heavily on “external action” that is “fabricated mainly to forward plot, culminating in a decisive ending that sometimes affords a universal insight” (231). Further, the plot and characters are “expressed in the serviceably inconspicuous language of prose realism” (Baldeshwiler 231). In other words, the characters, plot, and overall tone of the piece adhere to reality. In opposition to this style, Baldeshwiler explains that the lyrical short story “concentrates o...
time to sit down and read a novel. One difficulty of a short story is
Literature is rarely, if ever, merely a story that the author is trying to tell. It is imperative that the reader digs deep within the story to accurately analyze and understand the message the author is trying to portray. Authors tend to hide themselves in their stories. The reader can learn about the author through literary elements such as symbolism, diction, and structure. A good example of this is Robert Frost’s poems The Road Not Taken and Nothing Gold can Stay in which he uses ordinary language unlike many other poets that became more experimental (Frost, Robert. “1.”).