A Short History of the Short Story

Worldwide Appreciation of the Short Story Form Spans Cultures and Centuries!
In this concise volume, Gulnaz Fatma traces the short story from its origins infables, ancient poetry, and tales such as The Arabian Nights, to its modern formin the early American stories of Irving, Poe, and Hawthorne, and then throughthe twentieth century and throughout the world. The elements of what makesa short story are presented along with a discussion of the difficulties in definingthe genre. The short story''s relation to the novel as well as its uniqueness as itsown form are deftly presented.
While the American and European traditions of the short story take up muchof this book, the final chapter is a thorough presentation of the short story''sdevelopment in India. Anyone interested in the short story--teachers, students,writers, and readers--will find this volume informative, thoughtful, and awelcome addition to our understanding of one of literature''s most dynamicforms.
Gulnaz Fatma is an Indian writer and author. She is a research scholar in theDepartment of English at Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India.
"As a fiction writer who has also taught the short story form, I was impressedby the thoroughness and insight presented in this concise book. Fatma''sbroad exploration of the short story form is backed by numerous supportingexamples and her chapter on the short story in India will introduce manyreaders to that country''s own literary gems."
--Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. and author of the award-winning Narrow Lives
From the World Voices Series www.ModernHistoryPress.com
Literary Criticism: Short Stories
Literary Criticism: Asian - General