The American Short Story
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The Short Story in America : 1880 – 1920
Navjyot / Vol. I / Issue – II / 2012 ISSN 2277-8063 The Short Story in America : 1880 – 1920 Dr. D C Punse Head, Department of English, Amolakchand Mahavidyalaya, Yavatmal --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction : Modernist activity between 1880 and 1920 sustained and generated a vital sequence of experimental movements and phases. The 1900s certainly turned the mood, and began on a more modest note. It started with great ferment in the world of philosophy, ideas, and political thought. Invention in the form was the chief credo of the literary artist. “Single Effect” doctrine which invites a reunifying approach to familiar short story characteristics such as ellipsis, ambiguity, and resonance had been on dominating force. The writer’s approach indicated how form and context worked together. Narrative length and ending gave way to innovative dialogue presentation. Realism, which dominated the writing of fiction during the latter part of the nineteenth century in Europe and the United States was a reaction against the stereotyped sentimentalizing of the Romantic Movement that prevailed in the early part of the century. American writers started focusing on the external world and the everyday life. ‘Local Colour’ movement was on the move. The short story writers of this period offered a new technique and a short experience in comparison with many things. A critical survey of the American short story writers of this period is definitely an interesting study. Development of Short Story : The first short story writer of this series is Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909), who was known for her short stories of New England Life. She was one of the first ‘Local Colourist’ of New England. -
Addition to Summer Letter
May 2020 Dear Student, You are enrolled in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition for the coming school year. Bowling Green High School has offered this course since 1983. I thought that I would tell you a little bit about the course and what will be expected of you. Please share this letter with your parents or guardians. A.P. Literature and Composition is a year-long class that is taught on a college freshman level. This means that we will read college level texts—often from college anthologies—and we will deal with other materials generally taught in college. You should be advised that some of these texts are sophisticated and contain mature themes and/or advanced levels of difficulty. In this class we will concentrate on refining reading, writing, and critical analysis skills, as well as personal reactions to literature. A.P. Literature is not a survey course or a history of literature course so instead of studying English and world literature chronologically, we will be studying a mix of classic and contemporary pieces of fiction from all eras and from diverse cultures. This gives us an opportunity to develop more than a superficial understanding of literary works and their ideas. Writing is at the heart of this A.P. course, so you will write often in journals, in both personal and researched essays, and in creative responses. You will need to revise your writing. I have found that even good students—like you—need to refine, mature, and improve their writing skills. You will have to work diligently at revising major essays. -
Pulitzer Prize
1946: no award given 1945: A Bell for Adano by John Hersey 1944: Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin 1943: Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair Pulitzer 1942: In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow 1941: no award given 1940: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 1939: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Prize-Winning 1938: The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand 1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 1936: Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis Fiction 1935: Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson 1934: Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller 1933: The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling 1932: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck 1931 : Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes 1930: Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge 1929: Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin 1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 1927: Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield 1926: Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (declined prize) 1925: So Big! by Edna Ferber 1924: The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson 1923: One of Ours by Willa Cather 1922: Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington 1921: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton 1920: no award given 1919: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington 1918: His Family by Ernest Poole Deer Park Public Library 44 Lake Avenue Deer Park, NY 11729 (631) 586-3000 2012: no award given 1980: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer 2011: Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 1979: The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever 2010: Tinkers by Paul Harding 1978: Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson 2009: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout 1977: No award given 2008: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 1976: Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow 2007: The Road by Cormac McCarthy 1975: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara 2006: March by Geraldine Brooks 1974: No award given 2005: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 1973: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty 2004: The Known World by Edward P. -
Criticism of the Jazz Age in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Selected Short Stories
CRITICISM OF THE JAZZ AGE IN F. SCOTT FITZGERALD'S SELECTED SHORT STORIES DISSERTATION FOR M. PHIL IN ENGLISH LITERATURE BY ATTIA ABIO UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF PROF. AZIZUDDIN TARIO DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 1992 wamDS2475 CONTENTS PREFACE CHAPTER I ; THE AGE - THE LEGEND 1 CHAPTER II : THE GENRE 15 CHAPTER III : ALL FOR LOVE 38 CHAPTER IV : MONEY, THE GTH SCENE 67 CHAPTER V THE PEERS—TinC FABULIST 90 CHAPTER VI : CONCLUSION 106 BIBLIOGRAPHY 136 P R i: F A C E PREFACE Turn, gentle Hermit of the dale And guide my lonely way To where yon taper cheers the vale With hospitable ray. My father wrote this in my first autograph book. If he had been alive, he would have been very happy to see this dissertation, particularly because it was a challenge for me in many ways: Firstly, I decided to do M.Phil almost two decades after my M.A., and secondly, the subject was such that even the primary sources were not available at hand. When I was searching for a topic, I came across an article in one of the Dailies on the 50th death anniversary of F.Scott Fitzgerald. Since he was comparatively new to mc particularly with regard to his short stories, I decided to have a tryst with 'the legend', the 'Prince Charming of the Jazz Age', and pay him a tribute in my own humble way. I have already mentioned the scarcity of material, and had it not been for the ASRC, Hyderabad, and The American Centre, Delhi, I could not even have begun this work. -
1 Jay Cantor Tufts University English Department East Hall, 206 Medford [email protected]
1 Jay Cantor Tufts University English Department East Hall, 206 Medford [email protected] EDUCATIONAL HISTORY: Harvard University: September, 1966 to June, 1970 B.A., Magna Cum Laude, in English Undergraduate thesis on Moby Dick Supplement Editor, The Harvard Crimson, January, 1969 to January, 1970 Executive Board, The Harvard Crimson, January 1970 to June, 1970 University of California, Santa Cruz: September, 1972 to June, 1977 Ph.D., History of Consciousness Dissertation: Between Marx and Freud: Essays on Literature and Politics. Dissertation supervised by Professor Norman O. Brown. PRIZES AND FELLOWSHIPS: Harper's Magazine, College Criticism Award (Honorable Mention), 1969 Fellow of the Yaddo Foundation (for fiction writing), 1973 Partial Departmental Fellowship, History of Consciousness Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1972-3 2 Full Departmental Fellowship, History of Consciousness Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1974-5 Mellon Fellow, Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, 1978 Rockefeller Fellow, Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, 1978 Fellow of the Ingram Merrill Foundation, 1986-7 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 1987 Guggenheim Fellowship, 1988 MacArthur Prize Fellow, of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 1989-- Boston Literary Lights of the Boston Public Library, 1991 VISITING APPOINTMENTS: Moderator, Executive Seminar, Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, 1980 Moderator, Executive Seminar, Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, 1983 Fannie Hurst Visiting Professor, -
Unit 1 the American Short Story
UNIT 1 THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY Structure Objectives Introducing the Short Story Definitions: Their Inadequacies and Usefidness The American Short Story 1.3.1 Origins: The First Phase 1.3.2 American Short Story after Poe 1.3.3 Renaissance in American Short Sto~y 1.3.4 Hmingway and Faulher 1.3.5 Contemporary American Short Story Let Us Sum Up Glossary Questions Suggested Rdngs 1.0 OBJECTIVES In this introductory unit, we shall study the core features of the short story in general and the American short story in particular. To this end, besides a few initial broadsides on positioning the short story in chronological histoq. the unit examines several major definitions of this genre. It notes the inadequacies and usellness of these definitions, and suggests what essentially makes for a well-made short story. In the main, it posits a revaluation of the varied growth and major contributions to the American short story with special reference to Edgar Allan Poe. O.Henrq.. Sherwood Anderson, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner and John Barth. The unit also makes a few open-ended observations of the hture directions the short story may take. 1.1 INTRODUCING THE SHORT STORY The short story, it needs be affirmed even at the risk of mouthing a cliche, is at once old and new It may be as old as the adventure tales of the Odvssw or the religious/moral tales of the Bible. Nearer home, it may be as old as the stories woven into the Mahabharata or those included in the Panchantantra. But as a distinict art form. -
Unit-1 the SHORT STORY: AS a MINOR FORM of LITERATURE DEVELOPMENT, ELEMENTS and CHARACTERISTICS
Unit-1 THE SHORT STORY: AS A MINOR FORM OF LITERATURE DEVELOPMENT, ELEMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS Contents 1.0 Objectives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Presentation of Subject Matter 1.2.1 Development, Elements and Characteristics 1.3 Summary 1.4 Terms to Remember 1.5 Answers to check your progress 1.6 Exercises and their Answers 1.7 Books for Further Reading 1.0 Objectives: After learning this unit you will be able to: G Understand the meaning and origin of the short story G Know the development of the short story G Learn the elements and characteristics of the short story. 1.1 Introduction: The desire to listen to stories is deeply rooted in human civilization world over. Man, being the social animal, is always interested in other man’s life. This feature of man’s mind might have created the art of story-telling. Short stories date back to oral story-telling traditions which originally produced epics such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey . Oral narratives were often told in the form of rhyming or rhythmic verse, often including recurring sections. Such device helped 1 to recall the stories easily. Short sections of verse might focus on individual narratives that could be told at one sitting. The origin of short story can be traced back to the oral story-telling tradition. Perhaps the oldest form of the short story is the anecdote which was popular in the Roman Empire. At the time, the anecdotes functioned as a kind of parables in the Roman Empire. Anecdote is a brief realistic narrative that embodies a point. -
The Mystery of Existence: the American Short Story in Criticism and Theory Nicholas Birns
The Mystery of Existence: The American Short Story in Criticism and Theory Nicholas Birns Small Tale, Big Effect Modern short story theory began when Edgar Allan Poe established the modern short story. In “The Philosophy of Composition” (1846), Poe outlined his manifesto for brevity. He did not wish to tolerate the inevitable slow patches in even the finest poetry; short and intense was what was wanted. In his 1847 review of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Poe disagreed with “the idea that the mere bulk of a work must enter largely into our estimate of its merit” (Poe 584). Poe’s cultivation of brevity was a very modern position in that, unlike some other critics of Poe’s era, it came to terms with the fact that epics were no longer, in any substantive sense, being written. An anti-Aristotelian, he avoided the Greek philosopher’s stress on a text lengthy enough to have a beginning, middle, and end. Although there had been dissenting elements in the critical tradition—the Alexandria-based Greek grammarian Callimachus, in the third century BC, memorably quipped “Big book; big problem” (Lang and Danto 79)—the scholarly tradition stemming from Aristotle had generally exalted the epic and the grand, even if contained in rather strict formal parameters. Poe radically revised this tradition. For Poe, an uncanny combination of precision and intensity replaced narrative bulk. In addition, Poe’s theory of the short story derived much of its power from an emphasis on effect, on making the reader feel a certain emotion. In the previous generation, the British critic Thomas de Quincey had, in his essay “On the Knocking of the Gate in Macbeth,” emphasized a moment of uncanny doom in Shakespeare’s play over any sense of its overarching themes. -
September 2017 COURSE TITLE
MASTER COURSE OUTLINE Prepared By: Sean Twohy Date: September 2017 COURSE TITLE American Literature III GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION Dept.: ENGL& Course Num: 246 (Formerly: ENG 246) CIP Code: 23.0801 Intent Code: 11 Program Code: Credits: 5 Total Contact Hrs Per Qtr.: 55 Lecture Hrs: 55 Lab Hrs: 0 Other Hrs: 0 Distribution Designation: Humanities HU COURSE DESCRIPTION (as it will appear in the catalog) This class explores American literature published in the decades since 1960. Themes studied may include terrorism and cold war anxiety, technology, gender roles, multiculturalism, alienation, rebellion, popular psychology, or others relevant to the literature of the time. Students will read contemporary novels, stories, and poems that reflect American trends and culture during this period. Students do NOT need to have taken American Literature I or American Literature II to do well in this course. PREREQUISITES None TEXTBOOK GUIDELINES Instructor should choose at least three contemporary novels, as well as contemporary poems and short stories (available in print anthologies or online). Emphasis should be on “canonical” texts published since 1960 that act as artifacts of and lenses into contemporary American culture. Authors should be of recognizable importance to contemporary literature. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge or skills: 1. Identify and discuss a variety of contemporary literary themes and schools of thought, and be able to apply these to contemporary poetry and fiction. 2. Identify and discuss the relevance of a variety of contemporary short story writers, novelists and poets, and be able to articulate their contribution to the canon. -
Polish Journal for American Studies
Rob Kroes Decentering America: Visual Intertextuality and the Quest for a Transnational American Studies PolishPolish Journal Journal for for Polish Journal for American Studies Studies American Journal for Polish Polish Journal for Tadeusz Rachwał Where East Meets West: On Some Locations of America Florian Zappe AmericanAmericanAmerican StudiesStudies Studies The Other Exceptionalism: A Transnational Perspective on Atheism in America YearbookYearbook of theof the Polish Polish Association Association for for American American Studies Studies Anna Pochmara Vol. 12 (Spring 2018) Enslavement to Philanthropy, Freedom from Heredity: Vol. 12 (Spring 2018) Amelia E. Johnson’s and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Uses and Misuses of Sentimentalism and Naturalism Paulina Ambroży Performance and Theatrical A ect in Steven Millhauser’s Short Story “The Knife-Thrower” Thematic Section | Vol. 12 (Spring 2018) Vol. Transnational American Studies Here and Now Edited by Agnieszka Gra , Ludmiła Janion, Karolina Krasuska Warsaw 2018 www.paas.org.pl Polish Journal for American Studies Yearbook of the Polish Association for American Studies Vol. 12 (Spring 2018) Warsaw 2018 MANAGING EDITOR Marek Paryż EDITORIAL BOARD Izabella Kimak, Mirosław Miernik, Jacek Partyka, Paweł Stachura ADVISORY BOARD Andrzej Dakowski, Jerzy Durczak, Joanna Durczak, Andrew S. Gross, Andrea O’Reilly Herrera, Jerzy Kutnik, John R. Leo, Zbigniew Lewicki, Eliud Martínez, Elżbieta Oleksy, Agata Preis-Smith, Tadeusz Rachwał, Agnieszka Salska, Tadeusz Sławek, Marek Wilczyński REVIEWERS Tomasz Basiuk, Aneta Dybska, Paweł Frelik, Paweł Jędrzejko, Agnieszka Kotwasińska, Anna Krawczyk-Łaskarzewska, Zuzanna Ładyga, Jadwiga Maszewska, Urszula Niewiadomska-Flis, Tadeusz Pióro, Małgorzata Rutkowska, Piotr Skurowski, Justyna Wierzchowska TYPESETTING AND COVER DESIGN Miłosz Mierzyński COVER IMAGE Jerzy Durczak, “Colors for Sale” from the series “Santa Fe.” By permission. -
PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS in LETTERS © by Larry James
PULITZER PRIZE WINNERS IN LETTERS © by Larry James Gianakos Fiction 1917 no award *1918 Ernest Poole, His Family (Macmillan Co.; 320 pgs.; bound in blue cloth boards, gilt stamped on front cover and spine; full [embracing front panel, spine, and back panel] jacket illustration depicting New York City buildings by E. C.Caswell); published May 16, 1917; $1.50; three copies, two with the stunning dust jacket, now almost exotic in its rarity, with the front flap reading: “Just as THE HARBOR was the story of a constantly changing life out upon the fringe of the city, along its wharves, among its ships, so the story of Roger Gale’s family pictures the growth of a generation out of the embers of the old in the ceaselessly changing heart of New York. How Roger’s three daughters grew into the maturity of their several lives, each one so different, Mr. Poole tells with strong and compelling beauty, touching with deep, whole-hearted conviction some of the most vital problems of our modern way of living!the home, motherhood, children, the school; all of them seen through the realization, which Roger’s dying wife made clear to him, that whatever life may bring, ‘we will live on in our children’s lives.’ The old Gale house down-town is a little fragment of a past generation existing somehow beneath the towering apartments and office-buildings of the altered city. Roger will be remembered when other figures in modern literature have been forgotten, gazing out of his window at the lights of some near-by dwelling lifting high above his home, thinking -
AMERICAN LITERARY MINIMALISM by ROBERT CHARLES
AMERICAN LITERARY MINIMALISM by ROBERT CHARLES CLARK (Under the Direction of James Nagel) ABSTRACT American Literary Minimalism stands as an important yet misunderstood stylistic movement. It is an extension of aesthetics established by a diverse group of authors active in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that includes Amy Lowell, William Carlos Williams, and Ezra Pound. Works within the tradition reflect several qualities: the prose is “spare” and “clean”; important plot details are often omitted or left out; practitioners tend to excise material during the editing process; and stories tend to be about “common people” as opposed to the powerful and aristocratic. While these descriptors and the many others that have been posited over the years are in some ways helpful, the mode remains poorly defined. The core idea that differentiates American Minimalism from other movements is that prose and poetry should be extremely efficient, allusive, and implicative. The language in this type of fiction tends to be simple and direct. Narrators do not often use ornate adjectives and rarely offer effusive descriptions of scenery or extensive detail about characters’ backgrounds. Because authors tend to use few words, each is invested with a heightened sense of interpretive significance. Allusion and implication by omission are often employed as a means to compensate for limited exposition, to add depth to stories that on the surface may seem superficial or incomplete. Despite being scattered among eleven decades, American Minimalists share a common aesthetic. They were not so much enamored with the idea that “less is more” but that it is possible to write compact prose that still achieves depth of setting, characterization, and plot without including long passages of exposition.