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short story: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- American literatureHawthorne, Melville, and Whitman
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- Brazilian literatureThe short story
- Bulgarian literature
- Canadian literatureContemporary trends
- Chinese literature1927â37
- English literatureThe Edwardians
- French literatureNodier, Mérimée, and the conte
Additional Reading
K.P. Kempton examines the genre of the short story, emphasizing theme and meaning, in The Short Story (1947). An excellent analysis of story techniques is offered in Sean OâFaolain, The Short Story (1948, reissued 1974). Brander Matthews, The Philosophy of the Short-Story (1901, reprinted 1971), is predicated on Edgar Allan Poeâs theories. A provocative thesis regarding the nature of stories is presented in Frank OâConnor, The Lonely Voice: A Study of the Short Story (1963, reissued 2004). Hollis Summers has collected some of the more important discussions of the form in Discussions of the Short Story (1963). Storytellers and Their Art, ed. by Georgianne Trask and Charles Burkhart (1963), contains comments of various authors on the form. More-specialized discussions of the form are contained in Fred Lewis Pattee, The Development of the American Short Story (1923, reissued 1975); Ray B. West, Jr., The Short Story in America, 1900â1950 (1952); E.K. Bennett, A History of the German Novelle, 2nd ed. rev. by H.M. Waidson (1961); and Sophie Trenkner, The Greek Novella in the Classical Period (1958, reissued 1987). Barbara Lounsberry et al. (eds.), The Tales We Tell: Perspectives on the Short Story (1998), is a wide-ranging collection of scholarly essays. Books on the craft of writing that provide valuable insight into the workings of the short story include Jack M. Bickham, Writing the Short Story: A Hands-On Program (1994); Madison Smartt Bell, Narrative Design (1997); and Rick DeMarinis, The Art & Craft of the Short Story (2000). Tom Bailey (ed.), On Writing Short Stories, 2nd ed. (2011), includes essays by such writers as Francine Prose and Joyce Carol Oates. Ann Charters (ed.), The Story and Its Writer, 9th ed. (2015), is an anthology of short fiction.
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
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Arlen J. Hansen
Professor of English, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, 1974â93.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invalidated site: San Jose State University - Short Stories. | Oct 19, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: Humanities LibreTexts - Short Stories. | Oct 03, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: Pressbook - Composition and Literature - What is a Short Story? | Feb 03, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: San Jose State University - Short Stories. | Oct 29, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Yale New Haven Teachers Institute - Elements of the Short Story. | Sep 16, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Texas A and M University System Open Digital Publishing - Surface and Subtext: Literature, Research, Writing - Key Components of Short Stories. | Jun 18, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: PressbooksOER - Introduction to Short Fiction. | Nov 08, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Ipwa Universitiy Libraries - The Short Story: A Singular Effort. | Jul 07, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Literary Devices - Short Story. | Apr 10, 2022 | ||
| Added cross-references. | Nov 12, 2020 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Feb 06, 2019 | ||
| Add new Web site: Universidade de Caxias do Sul - The Short-Short Story: The Problem of Literary Genre. | Apr 21, 2016 | ||
| Media added. | Aug 14, 2015 | ||
| Article revised. | Aug 14, 2015 | ||
| Bibliography revised and updated. | Aug 14, 2015 | ||
| Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Elements of a Short Story. | Jan 08, 2014 | ||
| Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Entertainment - Short Story. | Aug 31, 2012 | ||
| In History section, "Samadeva" changed to "Somadeva," "KathÄ-saritsÄqara" changed to "KathÄ-saritsÄgara" and "ManlĆ«k" changed to "MamlĆ«k." | Jan 07, 2011 | ||
| Media added. | May 20, 2010 | ||
| Video of Clifton Fadiman discussing the elements of the short story added. | Sep 08, 2009 | ||
| Media added. | Apr 01, 2009 | ||
| Bibliography revised and updated. | Nov 01, 2007 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Nov 01, 2007 | ||
| Article revised. | Aug 02, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Jul 31, 2000 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 26, 1999 |
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