Short Stories as a section of Literary Forms. The defining structures and conventions of literary forms. Named canonical works remain in Classics; historical influence belongs in Influential Literature; poetry retains Poetry.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
In flash fiction, what does leaving events unstated invite readers to do?
A small clue can suggest an entire past, allowing a very short story to imply more than it spells out.
In "The Lion and the Mouse", how does the mouse later rescue the lion?
The lion's earlier mercy is repaid by a creature he had considered too small to be useful.
In "The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs", why does the owner kill the goose?
The owner destroys the source of a steady reward by trying to seize a larger reward immediately.
Which American writer is known for very short stories in Varieties of Disturbance?
Davis often turns ordinary observations and everyday language into stories that occupy less than a page.
Which feature distinguishes flash fiction from a true personal memoir?
Flash fiction can sound like a confession without promising that the events happened to its author.
Which Elizabeth Strout book links stories through a retired Maine schoolteacher?
Olive sometimes leads a story and sometimes appears at its edge, letting neighbors' lives alter the reader's view of her.
Augusto Monterroso wrote his tiny story "The Dinosaur" in which language?
The complete Spanish story has only seven words, yet leaves readers to imagine who woke up and why the dinosaur remained.
In "The North Wind and the Sun", how does the Sun make a traveler remove his cloak?
The wind's force makes the traveler hold the cloak tighter, while warmth persuades him to take it off.
Which author wrote the linked stories of The Joy Luck Club?
The book alternates mothers' and daughters' voices, showing how family memories change as they pass between generations.
What connects the separate stories in a short-story cycle?
A cycle allows each story to work on its own while recurring people or places gain meaning across the whole book.