A Short Story is kind of prose fiction. A Short Story is a Story which is short and which can be read at one sitting. There is no specific length prescribed for a short story but a short story should always be short. There are examples of a short story which may be one page long or a story which may run to a hundred or more pages. So shortness is the first essential requirement of a short story. We can define a short story as follows :
" A short story is a prose narrative requiring for half an hour to its perusal."
"A short story is a fully developed story which is shorter than a novel and longer than a fable. It typically takes just a single sitting for reading. Short Story focuses on the incidents bigger or smaller and evokes strong feelings from its readers. A short story often has a few characters in the plot."
" An invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot. "
We must understand that a Short Story is not a novel on a reduced scale. It is a different literary form with different techniques of its own. It has different requirements and characteristics.
Short Story and Function :
A short story presents one aspect of the life of a character. It could be an incident, an event, a description of a feeling, or even a simple act. A short story can also impact a reader and even inspire them. For persons who cannot read novels, enjoy reading the short stories. Moreover, in a short story, the characters also share their innermost thoughts, their motives, their feelings, their emotions, and different notions.
The short story is a crafted form in its own right. Short stories make use of plot, resonance, and other dynamic components as in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While the short story is largely distinct from the novel or novella (a shorter novel), authors generally draw from a common pool of literary techniques.
William Boyd, the award-winning British author and short story writer has said:
"[short stories] seem to answer something very deep in our nature as if, for the duration of its telling, something special has been created, some essence of our experience extrapolated, some temporary sense has been made of our common, turbulent journey towards the grave and oblivion."
In the modern time we can see that the readers are more attracted towards Short Story. Because Short Story is more convenient and more natural than a novel.
Five elements of Short Story :
Character :
A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work. In short story we find that
Ex : The Green Door by O. Henry
Setting :
The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.
Ex: The Last Leaf by O. Henry
Plot :
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
Ex : The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.
Conflict :
The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict.
On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).
Ex : To Build a Fire by Jack London.
Theme :
The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story.
Ex : The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry.
✍️ Now let's us see the characteristics of a short story :
The Aim of the Short story :
The primary aim of the story is to entertain hense it should be interesting. It's effect should be direct.
Brevity:
A Short story should be so short that it can be read at a single sitting. Hence brevity is another characteristic of the Short story. Everything superfluous or unnecessary should be avoided. Each and every word should add to the effect of the story and further of the Short story. The art of short story writing is difficult one.
The single action :
The short story must be complete without any suggestion over- crowding. The attention must be focused on the single action. The theme is not so important in a short story as the method of telling the story.
The few events and incident :
A short story should have singleness of effect. There should be few events and incidents.
An Effective end :
The short story should have effective end. Ending should be interesting one.
Suitable atomospher :
A suitable atomospher is necessary for a short story. The story writer should be able to create such atomospher with a few strokes of his pen. The nite is struck from the first sentence.
Boyd, William. "A short history of the short story". Retrieved 2018-04-17.
“Short Story Examples and Definition of Short Story.” Literary Devices, 4 Mar. 2019, literarydevices.net/short-story/.
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