There are a huge number of genres of narrative prose, among which there is a short story. We meet many different stories and stories, and do not think about what a short story is. And even more so, how it happened and when.
Meaning of the word. Period of occurrence
What does the word "short story" mean ? This is a narrative prose genre that once included poetic pieces. The short story is characterized by a neutral style of presentation, a sharp and dynamic plot, brevity of the narrative, an unexpected denouement. It lacks psychologism. Sometimes used as a synonym for the story. In some cases, it is a variety of it. At the beginning of the 19th century, the novel appears in prose in Europe and America (everywhere). It influences the novel, which was still developing at that time, it was especially noticeable in Russia.
The origin of the prosaic genre
The meaning of the word "short story" originates in a joke, a fable and a fairy tale. It differs from the joke in the plot, in the novel it is sentimental or tragic, but not comic in any way. There is no edification or allegory in it, as, for example, in a fable. From the tale, the short story is distinguished by the absence of magic elements. However, in some cases they still occur, in most cases in eastern narratives and are perceived as something surprising.
Even in the Renaissance, everyone knew what a short story was. Even then, its specific features were identified: unexpected twists of fate in the life of the hero, unusual incidents, acute dramatic conflict. As Goethe wrote: "The short story is an incident that happened quite by accident."
Of course, with each literary era, a particular imprint was left on this genre. In the era of romanticism, the plot of the stories was mystical, it was impossible to draw a line between reality and a fairy tale ("Sandman").
Novel without psychology and philosophy
Actually, what is a short story? There is a lot of information on this subject. As always, in such cases, if it grows, it becomes problematic. The short story avoided philosophy and psychologism even before the statement in the literature of realism. To know the inner world of the hero was possible through his actions and actions. There was no descriptiveness in the short story; the author never expressed his opinion.
When realism began to develop, this genre with its classic examples almost disappeared. However, realism in the 19th century could not have existed without psychologism and descriptiveness. At this time, the novel is supplanted by other types of short narration, among them the story is in the first place (especially in Russia). For a long time, the story has existed as a kind of short story.
Novel structure
So, we figured out what a short story is - the main genre of small narrative prose. The authors of such works are called short stories, the collection of stories - short stories. Narration is a shorter form of prose, as opposed to a novel or story. The short story is part of the folklore genres of oral retelling in the form of parables. The story has only one storyline (with the presence of some kind of problem) and several characters (in comparison with more detailed narrative forms).
The structure of the novel is as follows: set, climax and denouement. The romantics of the beginning of the 19th century admired the novel in an unexpected turn of events. They were attracted by the sharpness, and sometimes the dynamism of the plot.
In the stories of some authors, cyclization can be seen. Here is a striking example. The short story is published in a periodical. After that, the works accumulated over a certain period of time are published as a separate book, and as a result a whole collection of stories is obtained.