The Origin of American Short Story

The Origin of American Short Story:

Although, there are many discrepancy in posing short story with an exact definition but the most agreeable would be

“a short story is something that unfolds some kind of idea through the action and interaction of the characters at some definite time and place.”

The only difference lies in the disparity of is meaning by various writers is the positioning of its elements I e to which one they prioritize the most.

Sir Hugh Warpole, for instance, gave the plot it’s supremacy by calling it the distinguishing feature of a short story.

Turgenev, gave the characters the importance in addressing a definition to a short story.

But Edgar Allan Poe, the master practitioner of modern short story, while defining short story gave the supreme importance to a “pre-conceived effect” which should be realized through the plot of a story.

In his famous review of Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Poe mentioned that there should not be any word written which does not contribute, directly or indirectly, to establish that pre-conceived effect in a short story.

Again, writers like H.G. Wells insisted upon the length of a short story to be it’s defining characteristics.

This claim was also approved by Poe but he furthers his explanation in saying a short story must be short but not short enough to fail to realise the “pre-conceived effect” of the plot.

These inadequacies in defining a short story opens it to the limitless possibilities in terms of genre. The lack of definition of it also implies that it has evolved, in effect, as a vehicle of a writer’s talent.

Critics have also shunned from defining the short story saying, the challenge of a short story is how vitally compelling a writer makes whatever he writes.

The American Short Story and Poe:

The short story as an effective genre grew up during the first decade of the 19th century.

The earliest stalwarts of American short story includes:-

• Washington Irving (1783-1859)

• Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

• Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

While Irving’s short story and it’s writing style was considered rather leisurely and lacked dramatic tension, Hawthorne falls more under the category of a novelist than a short story writer. However, his Twice-Told Tales is a milestone as far as his venture in this genre is concerned.

However, it was Poe who formulated a set of principles governing the composition of a short story.

According to him, there are three precise rules to be followed for composing a successful short story i.e

1) It must aim at a pre-designed effect

2) It must exclude everything which does not contribute to achieve that pre-designed effect and

3) A short story must be short but not short enough to fail to achieve the pre-designed effect.

Short story as a genre , however, flourished more across the Atlantic , especially in Russia and France with writers like Alexander Pushkin and Prosper Merimee.

After Poe :

It spanned mainly during the second half of the 19th century and was more prolific than impressive.

It offered a juxtaposition of popular short story and quality short story

The period either gave facile, journalistic and unexperimented short story represented by writers like Bret Harte and O’Henry or meaningful, serious and innovative short story best represented by Bierce Ambrose and Stephen Crane.

Aware of the American demand for a direct, fast-track story of effect, Bret Harte produced works which brought him instant recognition and fame , making him a national sensation and his work as national institution.

But, perhaps it was O’Henry who have perfected the formula of popular short story in the American canon of literature.

He was more of a showman than a short story writer using the formula of popular short story to effect the best response from the audience. He was fond of the device of trick ending in his short stories, best exemplified by The Last Leaf, The Gift of Magi, however, he wasn’t aware of its limitations like the French short story writer Guy de Maupassant was.

As for the serious, meaningful kind , it was Bierce Ambrose who did not cared about being popular and distinguished literature from journalism.

He was considered to be a purist who was rejected by his time.

Another writer belonging to this category was Stephen Crane who introduced features like naturalism and determinism in American short story.

He enriched and widened the range of the genre.

Other masterly writers of the genre belonging to the European continent includes Guy de Maupassant, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy.

• Writing of Maupassant was Swift, direct and brilliant.

• Of Chekhov, it was casual, conversational, oblique and gripping.

• And of Tolstoy, it was more composite and life like.

Notable works of these writers includes:-

• The Necklace by Guy de Maupasant

• Ward No. 6 by Anton Checkhov

• Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy.

Renaissance in American Short Story:

In Europe and Britain it was flourishing more profoundly with writers like James Joyce, Edith Wharton , D.H. Lawrence.

But in America , apart from Henry James who stood out was Sherwood Anderson who broke free from the stereotypical stories of O’Henry and Bret Harte.

He rejected the European influence and formulated his own writing style that he termed as “stylessness” to write more authentically about the remote and obscure Americans.

He aimed at being closer to life than to art.

He lend colour and significance to otherwise insignificant people which is visible in his works like “I Want to Know Why” and “Death in the Woods” that are considered to be among the finest of American short story.