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Research draft

short story

vr.tr.short-story · INF.MED

Let an agent explain the short story as a form, distinguish it from the novella, tale and flash fiction, relay its history, theory and notable authors with attribution, and route to entries for specific genres, authors and collections.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain the short story as a form, distinguish it from the novella, tale and flash fiction, relay its history, theory and notable authors with attribution, and route to entries for specific genres, authors and collections.

A work of prose fiction shorter than a novel, usually readable in one sitting and focused on a single incident, character or effect, developed as a modern literary form in the nineteenth century by writers such as Poe, Chekhov and Maupassant from older tales and anecdotes; short stories appear in magazines, collections and anthologies, in genres from literary fiction to science fiction, and include related forms such as the Arabic hikayah and the novella.

What it is for: Concise narrative fiction.

It can be explain the form and its features; distinguish from related forms; relay history and theory with attribution; route to specific genres and authors.

Distinguishing features

Brevity and unity

Modern literary form

Magazine origins

Genre breadth

What it looks like

Not a physical object; a prose text of a few to several dozen pages.

Physical character

typical length: about 1000-10000 words - varies by definition

How it is recognised

Short prose fiction with unity of effect

Published in magazines, collections and anthologies

Novellas are longer; flash fiction shorter; tales and anecdotes are older forms

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms

short prose

is a kind of - in registry terms

narration

is contrasted with - by length and scope

novel

is related to - an intermediate form

novella

In practice

Families and kinds

literary short stories

genre short stories such as science fiction, crime and horror

LGBTQ, erotic and other thematic categories

short stories by specific authors such as Karl May and Fujiko F. Fujio

traditional forms such as the hikayah

novellas and flash fiction as neighbouring forms

Standards and regulation

No regulation; copyright and publishing contracts

Prize eligibility rules defining length

Failure modes and hazards

Blurred boundaries with novella and flash fiction

Eurocentric histories

Confusing thematic categories with the form

Also called

Fujiko, Fujio F. SF short storiesLGBTQ short storyerotic short storyshort stories written by Karl Mayhikayahexistential novellaBangla short storyCuntiNature Futureshistorical short storyhorror short storychuanqiIrish short storyanecdotepritchascience fiction short storymirabiliaspeculative fiction short storycrime fiction short storyreligious storyChristmas taleshort short storyphilosophical short storyexemplumEast Germany jokesMirabilia

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Form What a short story is.

Definition.

Definition

Definition and features.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is a short story, and what features define the form? definition
  2. Is the work a short story, a novella, flash fiction or a tale? boundary

Craft

Craft.

Craft

Craft.

  1. How are short stories structured, and what techniques do writers use? provenance
  2. Which entry fits narrative technique? action
History History and theory.

Attribution.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did the short story develop from tales and anecdotes to the modern form, with attribution? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Theory

Theory.

Theory

Theory.

  1. How have critics from Poe onward theorised the short story, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Landscape Genres and traditions.

Context.

Genres

Genres and themes.

Genres

Genres.

  1. How does the short story work across genres and thematic categories? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the specific genre? action

World

World traditions.

World

World.

  1. What short fiction traditions exist outside Europe and North America, such as the hikayah? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the specific tradition? action
Practice Publishing and teaching.

Practice.

Publishing

Publishing and prizes.

Publishing

Publishing.

  1. Where are short stories published, and which prizes recognise them? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How is the short story taught in literature and creative writing? provenance
  2. Which entry fits creative writing? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should novella and flash fiction be separate entries?
  • How should anthologies and prizes be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming authors and thematic categories; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON