Short story

Lore & Background

Short stories date back to oral storytelling traditions that produced epics such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Oral narratives were often told in rhyming or rhythmic verse, with stylistic devices acting as mnemonics. Another ancient form was the anecdote, popular during the Roman Empire, with many surviving examples collected in the Gesta Romanorum. In Europe, the oral tradition developed into written form in the early 14th century, notably with Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, both composed of individual short stories set within a frame story. The mid 17th century in France saw the refined short novel, the 'nouvelle,' and traditional fairy tales were published in the late 17th century, such as those by Charles Perrault. In India, ancient folktales and compiled short fiction like the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha, and Kathasaritsagara shaped the modern Indian short story.

Reader's Guide

The short story is a crafted form in its own right, using plot, resonance, and other dynamic components, though typically to a lesser degree than a novel. Determining what exactly defines a short story remains problematic. A classic definition is that one should be able to read it in one sitting, a point made by Edgar Allan Poe. H. G. Wells described its purpose as taking fifteen to fifty minutes to read aloud. Some authors, like Somerset Maugham, argue for a strict form with a plot, climax, and denouement, while Anton Chekhov opposed this, viewing a story as a 'slice of life' without a beginning or end. In the 1880s, the term 'short story' acquired its modern meaning. During the early to mid-20th century, the short story underwent expansive experimentation, hindering comprehensive definition. Longer stories that cannot be called novels are sometimes considered novellas or novelettes. Around the world, the modern short story is comparable to lyrics, dramas, novels, and essays, though its examination as a major literary form remains diminished.

Did You Know?

• The short story is one of the oldest types of literature, existing in forms such as legends, mythic tales, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, and anecdotes.
• The modern short story developed in the early 19th century.
• In the 1880s, the term 'short story' acquired its modern meaning, having initially referred to children's tales.

The Endless Debate Over Definition

The short story resists a single, fixed definition. H.G. Wells took a more experiential approach, describing it as an art of creating something bright and moving that takes fifteen to fifty minutes to read aloud. William Faulkner, by contrast, saw it as fundamentally character-driven, with the writer's task being to keep pace with a character's speech and actions. At the structural end of the spectrum, Somerset Maugham insisted on a definite design with a point of departure, climax, and point of test. Hugh Walpole echoed this, calling for swift movements, unexpected developments, and a satisfying denouement. Yet Anton Chekhov pushed back against this notion of a finished product, favoring a 'slice of life' that leaves its ending open for readers to interpret. Sukumar Azhikode described it as a brief prose narrative with intense episodic effect, while Flannery O'Connor questioned what 'short' even means. William Boyd captured the form's deeper resonance, suggesting it creates a temporary sense of meaning in our turbulent journey toward oblivion.

Roots in Oral and Ancient Traditions

The short story's lineage stretches back to the earliest human storytelling. Oral traditions that produced great epics like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey also generated shorter narrative units. These oral tales often employed rhyming verse, rhythmic patterns, and recurring sections—Homeric epithets being a notable example—that served as memory aids for performers. While the full epic arc unfolded across multiple performances, individual sections could be told in a single sitting, functioning as what might be called oral short stories. In the Roman Empire, the anecdote became a popular brief narrative form embodying a single point; many survived in the Gesta Romanorum, compiled in the 13th or 14th century. Anecdotes continued to flourish in Europe well into the 18th century, as seen in the fictional letters of Sir Roger de Coverley. The transition from oral to written form arrived in early 14th-century Europe through Boccaccio's Decameron and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, both of which framed individual stories within a larger narrative. By the late 16th century, Matteo Bandello's darkly tragic Italian novellas, especially in French translation, had become among Europe's most popular short narratives.

Length, Markets, and the Shifting Boundaries

The question of how long a short story should be remains stubbornly unresolved. The form's shape is closely tied to the publishing industry and the submission guidelines of individual houses, much as the novel's predominant form reflects market demands. The term 'short story' itself only acquired its modern meaning in the 1880s, having originally referred to children's tales. Longer works that do not quite reach novel length are sometimes called novellas or novelettes, and like short stories, they can be gathered into collections for commercial appeal. The early to mid-20th century brought expansive experimentation that further complicated any attempt at a comprehensive definition.

A Distinct Art Form in a Crowded Literary Landscape

The short story occupies a unique position among literary forms. It is a crafted form in its own right, employing plot, resonance, and other dynamic components similar to those in a novel, but typically to a lesser degree. While largely distinct from the novel or novella, authors working in the short form draw from a common pool of literary techniques. The short story is sometimes referred to as a genre, yet many writers resist such categorization, viewing their work as part of an artistic and personal expression that defies fixed formation. Around the world, the modern short story stands alongside lyrics, dramas, novels, and essays as a recognized literary mode, yet its examination as a major form remains diminished relative to the others. The modern short story as we know it developed in the early 19th century, emerging from the rich heritage of legends, mythic tales, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, and anecdotes that existed in ancient communities worldwide. Its evolution from these oral and written precursors into a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, designed to evoke a single effect or mood, marks a distinctive literary achievement that continues to challenge and inspire writers and readers alike.