What are the stories? Works in this genre are written for both children and adults. They differ from each other also by belonging to one or another literary movement. More about what a story is, what characteristic features of this genre are described in today's article.
Structure
What story can be read in half an hour? Almost any. The story is a prose work of small volume. Its structure is very simple. The story consists of the plot, climax and denouement. Representatives of romanticism, the direction that was developed in the 19th century, preferred an unexpected ending. But many critics call their works differently - short stories, which, however, is consonant with the word "story" in many languages.
Short story and story
What common features do these genres have? There are few differences between them, but some literary scholars believe that the story is more psychological, in contrast to the short story. By genre features, he is closer to the sketch. In the short story, the plot plays a major role.
What are the stories in Russian literature that have deep psychological content? These are works by Chekhov, Bunin, Andreev. It is enough to read a story by one of these authors in order to understand how this genre differs from the short story, which Prosper Merimee is recognized as an unsurpassed master. Each piece of French prose writer ends unexpectedly. In the stories of Chekhov and Bunin, one rarely encounters unexpected plot twists.
A striking example of a classic story is “The Story of the Seven Hanged Men” by Leonid Andreev. The reader already knows from the title what fate awaits the heroes. In this work, the main thing is not the plot, but the psychological portraits of the characters.
Tale or story
Until the middle of the 19th century, Russian writers saw no boundaries between these genres. For example, the work "The Overcoat" Gogol called the story. Whereas, according to modern literary terminology, this is more likely a short story: a small volume, only a few characters, an unexpected ending. The story tells about a number of events. Such a work covers a significant time period. The story, in contrast to the short story or story, is more leisurely, calm.
Almost any prose work by Edgar Allan Poe can be read in less than an hour. As much time will take acquaintance with one of the story of Herbert Wells. However, the distinction between the story and the story by the criterion of volume is still conditional. So, “One Day of Ivan Denisovich” - the work of Solzhenitsyn - is considered to be a story. But in terms of volume it is more consistent with the story.
Stories of Romantic Writers
It was described in detail above how the novella differs from the story. Some literary scholars believe that these are different genres, however, in many languages there is only one term for a piece of prose. The first novels appeared in Germany in the era of romanticism, that is, in the XIX century. A striking example is the work of Hoffmann. But typical stories in the modern sense are not “Baby Tsahes”, but the lesser-known “Sandman”, Mademoiselle de Skuderi. Other representatives of this genre are Kleist, Teak, Chamisso.
Russian short story
The famous representative of this genre is Alexander Pushkin. A collection of his works called Belkin's Tales is nothing more than a collection of classic short stories. In the 19th century, the followers of the German writer Hoffmann appeared in Russia. This is Odoevsky, Pogorelsky, Field. Hoffman had a huge impact on the work of Nikolai Gogol. Examples of the Russian romantic short story are the works “Viy”, “Terrible Revenge”, “Nose”, “Portrait”. The American writer Washington Irving made a huge contribution to the development of this genre. "Sleepy Hollow" is called a fairy tale for adults. This work has become a model of a romantic short story.