Short Story: Origin, Definition and Elements

Origin & Definition of the Short Story in English Literature

Introduction

The short story is one of the most popular forms of literature. It is short in length but rich in meaning. A short story tells a complete story in a few pages. It usually has only one main idea, a small number of characters, and a single important event. It is written to give the reader a quick but powerful experience.

Origin of the Short Story

Storytelling is as old as human civilization. Long before people learned to write, they told stories by word of mouth. These stories were passed from one generation to another. They included folk tales, myths, legends, fables, and fairy tales.

Some of the earliest collections of stories are:

• Panchatantra from India
• Aesop's Fables from Greece
• The Arabian Nights (One Thousand and One Nights)
• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

These works helped in the development of storytelling, but they were not modern short stories.

The modern short story developed during the nineteenth century. Several reasons helped its growth:

• The spread of education and literacy.
• The invention of printing and the growth of newspapers and magazines.
• Busy readers wanted short pieces that could be read in one sitting.

Many writers contributed to the development of the modern short story. In America, Edgar Allan Poe is called the father of the modern short story because he explained how a short story should be written and practised the form successfully. Nathaniel Hawthorne and O. Henry also became famous short story writers. In England, writers such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, Katherine Mansfield, and Somerset Maugham made the short story a respected literary form.

Today, the short story is read all over the world and is one of the most important forms of modern literature.

Definition of the Short Story

A short story is a brief work of fiction that can usually be read in one sitting. It presents a single incident or idea and has only a few characters. Every part of the story is connected to its main purpose.

The American writer Edgar Allan Poe said that a short story should be short enough to be read in one sitting. According to him, every word and every event should create a single effect on the reader.

The English writer H. G. Wells described a short story as a piece of writing that can be read in about twenty minutes.

Although there is no fixed length, most short stories are much shorter than novels and usually contain between 1,000 and 7,500 words.

Main Features of a Short Story

The important characteristics of a short story are:

• It is short and can be read in one sitting.
• It has only one main plot.
• It usually has one or two main characters.
• It focuses on one important incident or idea.
• It takes place in a limited time and setting.
• It has a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• It creates a single emotional effect on the reader.
• Its language is simple, clear, and meaningful.

Conclusion

The short story has developed from ancient oral storytelling into an important modern literary form. Though short in length, it has great artistic value. It entertains, teaches, and makes readers think about life. Because it is easy to read and powerful in its effect, the short story remains one of the most loved forms of literature throughout the world.