Unjustified Fears, By Fernando Sorrentino

There are many different short stories that teach a variety of lessons. The short story, “Unjustified Fears,” by Fernando Sorrentino is a comedy story about phobias. Fernando Sorrentino was born November eighth, 1942, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has been writing for about 32 years and generally writes fantasy stories with a mix of humor. He has written six short stories collections and has won multiple literary awards. Throughout the short story, “Unjustified Fears,” Fernando Sorrentino uses many literary devices and components to tell his humorous short story about fear. Most stories have an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and a denouncement that make up their plot. In the exposition of “Unjustified Fears,” the narrator explains that they recently visited their friend, Enrique Viani, who “suffers from somewhat unjustified fears” (Sorrentino 1). They then begin to tell the story of what happened to Enrique two

In “Unjustified Fear,” the sentence length varies from short to long and the word choice varies as well. The author uses short sentences when the characters are talking to each other but long sentences when the narrator is explaining or thinking things to the reader. The word choice is mostly formal, except when the characters are speaking, which then becomes informal. The story is not very long but the author does use imagery and descriptiveness throughout it. Such as when the narrator is telling the story about Enrique and describes the spider as “a bulky, heavy spider that Enrique Viani could feel - and count - the footfalls of the eight feet - hairy and slightly sticky - across the goose flesh of his leg” or when “it nested, with its warm and throbbing cephalothorax and abdomen, in the hollow we all have behind our knees” (Sorrentino 2). Therefore, the author’s voice switches between informal and formal throughout the