Great American Short Stories: A Guide for Writers and Readers

The professor explains the significance of the opening sentence in American short stories.

Several factors contribute to the uniqueness of American short stories.

A hybrid form of storytelling persists in the present.

The short story emerges as a distinctly American genre.

Some writers are believed to have mastered the art of sentimental fiction.

Social upheaval and print journalism lead to the emergence of a cadre of realist writers.

The professor examines the works of modernist writers like William Faulkner and Gertrude Stein.

Ernest Hemingway is widely recognized for his role in revolutionizing short fiction.

The professor discusses how short fiction writers convey time, place, mood, and other elements.

Writers use certain details to provide readers with insight into the inner lives of characters.

The professor distinguishes flat characters from the deeper ones that resonate with readers.

Writers can use exercises from real-life and fictional sources to craft purposeful dialogue.

There are three distinct variations of the third-person perspective.

Specific strengths and risks are associated with the first-person and second-person perspectives.

Good short stories balance structure and randomness.

Professor Cognard-Black explains how sensory language creates an immersive experience.

Style encompasses every aspect of an author's writing.

Metafiction is known for its use of a deconstructionist approach in short stories.

Genre fiction addresses the same themes and concerns as literary fiction.

The collaboration between images and words must not be confined to a mere illustration.

Authors employ various techniques to create the postmodernism "meta-experience."

At times, even the briefest of pieces can encompass entire narrative worlds.

Writers must create endings that resonate with reality and satisfy their readers.

Concluding the course, the professor takes a look at the nature of contemporary publishing.