Throughout history, stories have been passed down from generation to generation, serving various purposes such as warning or explaining. In order to stand the test of time, these stories had to captivate their listeners. As stated by author E.M. Forster in his book Aspects of the Novel, "It is immensely old...The primitive audience was an audience of shock-heads...and only kept awake by suspense." This highlights the enduring appeal of short stories, which have been around since ancient times. Forster's key question, "What would happen next?" may hold the key to their lasting popularity. But what exactly is a short story?
A short story is a tale that is shorter than a book, typically around 7,500 words. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the short story had become a popular form of entertainment, with authors like Charles Dickens contributing to its rise in popularity. However, towards the end of the 19th century, writers such as Henry James and G.K. Chesterton saw its potential for a different kind of storytelling - one that offered a glimpse into life rather than a fully plotted narrative. This led to the emergence of "plotless" short stories, as Chesterton explained in his book Charles Dickens.
The short story became a favored medium for tales of the supernatural, extraordinary events, and everyday life. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it developed its own identity and attracted renowned writers like Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, and James Joyce. Kipling, a prolific short story writer, was praised for his fusion of modernist realism with traditional elements of suspense. He also left out crucial details in his stories, leaving readers with a lingering sense of intrigue.
In a manner similar to Kipling, Conrad also experimented with narrative techniques in his short stories. He often used the "story-within-a-story" structure, as seen in his first collection of short stories, Tales of Unrest (1898). One of the stories in the collection, Karain: A Memory, explores themes of guilt, memory, and imperialism. Similarly, Joyce's The Dubliners (1914) brought the short story to the forefront of modern storytelling. The collection showcases his theories of "epiphany" and utilizes an ascetic prose style. The final story, The Dead, has been hailed as one of the greatest short stories in the English language, touching upon themes of love, grief, and mortality.
The tradition of short fiction continued into the 20th century, with notable anthologies and collections from authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Somerset Maugham. Hemingway's In Our Time (1925) and Maugham's Cosmopolitans: Very Short Stories (1936) solidified the short story's position in literature. As the century progressed, short stories continued to evolve, with new writers and styles emerging. However, at its core, the essence of a short story remains the same - the ability to convey powerful emotions and ideas in a condensed format.
In conclusion, the short story is a timeless and evolving form of storytelling. From ancient tales told around campfires to modern works of literature, it continues to captivate audiences with its succinct and powerful narratives. So the next time you hear a fairy tale or share your own story, remember the enduring legacy of the short story.
Flash fiction has been a well-established literary form since ancient times, tracing back to the use of moral tales in Aesop's Fables. However, it wasn't until the 1990s that the term "flash fiction" was coined to describe short stories with fully developed characters and plots, despite their concise length.
One of the earliest examples of flash fiction is Hemingway's chapter V from In Our Time (1925), which captures the intense atmosphere of a civil war execution in just 129 words. In the same vein, Maugham's Appointment in Samarra (1933) tells a witty story in under 200 words, with Death as the narrator.
Thurber's The Bear Who Let It Alone (1940) is a fable that delves into the dangers of trying too hard, told in 274 words. It cleverly follows a bear's struggle with alcoholism and its impact on his family.
While both flash fiction and short stories share a similar brevity, there are distinct differences between the two forms. Short stories are usually up to 7,500 words, while sudden fiction ranges from 500 to 1,000 words. Flash fiction, on the other hand, is under 1,000 words and can be further categorized into postcard fiction (250-500 words) and micro-fiction (up to 300 words).
Two notable examples of flash fiction are Mark Twain's A Telephonic Conversation (1880) and Saki's The Open Window (1911) with 810 and 1,214 words respectively. These works could also be classified as short stories, as they fall within the 7,500-word limit.
Additionally, flash fiction has flourished in the digital age with the rise of the internet. It has become a popular form of storytelling for both published and unpublished writers. Websites like Flash Fiction Online and Word Riot provide platforms for flash fiction to be shared, while competitions like 55Fiction and Best Microfiction offer opportunities for writers to showcase their talent. The most concise form of flash fiction is the six-word story. An iconic example being "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn." Although often attributed to Hemingway, its true author is still unknown. This unique form of storytelling has led to the creation of hint fiction, where stories hint at a larger, more complex narrative. Websites like nanoism.net, narrativemagazine.com, and monkeybicyle.net have dedicated sections for hint fiction. Additionally, Twitterature has gained popularity, showcasing poems and flash fiction within the 280-character limit. With the rise of technology and social media, short fiction has found a platform to thrive, evident in popular Twitter tags like #micromemoirs and #Twaiku. Overall, short fiction continues to be a beloved form of storytelling, with renowned writers like Kate Chopin, Ernest Hemingway, and James Joyce contributing to its diversity and popularity.
