Finishing Up Fiction

Art by Dano

Today we finished our full-length fiction with Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."  On Wednesday we will move on to flash fiction.  Here are the two pieces we may discuss.  The first is Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl" (http://www.saginaw-twp.k12.mi.us/view/8490.pdf).  The second piece, Catfish McDaris' "The Magic Rabbit," is on Blackboard in the fiction folder. 

Let's start with a few more questions about "The Cask of Amontillado."

-- Describe Montresor as a character. Has he grown or developed over time?  Is there more to him than his desire for revenge?

-- Describe Montresor as a narrator.  Is he reliable or unreliable?  Why?

-- Describe Fortunato as a character.  Does his personality really matter in this story?  Why?  Why not?

-- Why doesn't Fortunato turn back when Montresor seems to encourage him to?

-- Choose a symbol in Poe's story.  What does it represent?

-- Where do you see foreshadowing in "The Cask of Amontillado"? 

-- Poe maintains that a literary work should build towards a single effect.  Does "The Cask of Amontillado" do this?  Should a literary work build towards a single effect?  Why?  Why not?

Prof. Valerie Arvidson's definition of a short story is as follows: On the Form of the Short Story:

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrativeformat. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas (in the 20th and 21st century sense) and novels.

A classic definition of a short story is that one should be able to read it in one sitting, a point most notably made in Edgar Allan Poe's essay "The Philosophy of Composition" (1846). Interesting to note that the idea of "one sitting", may no longer mean the same time period, in modern, faster-paced times. Other definitions place the maximum word count of the short story at anywhere from 1,000 to 9,000 words. In contemporary usage, the term short story most often refers to a work of fiction no longer than 20,000 words and no shorter than 1,000. Stories of less than 1,000 words are sometimes referred to as "short short stories",^[2] or "flash fiction."

In longer forms of fiction, stories tend to contain certain core elements of dramatic structure: exposition (the introduction of setting, situation and main characters); complication (the event that introduces the conflict); rising action, crisis (the decisive moment for the protagonist and his commitment to a course of action); climax (the point of highest interest in terms of the conflict and the point with the most action); resolution (the point when the conflict is resolved); and moral.

Because of their length, short stories may or may not follow this pattern. Some do not follow patterns at all. For example, modern short stories only occasionally have an exposition. More typical, though, is an abrupt beginning, with the story starting in the middle of the action (in medias res). As with longer stories, plots of short stories also have a climax, crisis, or turning point. However, the endings of many short stories are abrupt and open and may or may not have a moral or practical lesson. As with any art forms, the exact characteristics of a short story will vary by creator.

Choose one of the short stories we've read so far.  How does it follow Prof. Arvidson's guidelines?  How does it not follow them?

Choose one of the flash fiction stories.  How does it follow Prof. Arvidson's guidelines?  How does it not follow them?

Here is Grant Faulkner's more detailed definition of flash fiction:  

Flash fiction, which is defined as being a story under 1,000 words, goes by the names of “short shorts,” “miniatures,” “sudden fiction” and “postcard fiction,” among many others. Flash communicates via caesuras and crevices. There is no asking more, no premise of comprehensiveness, because flash fiction is a form that privileges excision over agglomeration, adhering more than any other narrative form to Hemingway’s famous iceberg dictum: only show the top 10 percent of your story, and leave the other 90 percent below water to be conjured.

This form speaks to the singularity of stray moments by calling attention to the spectral blank spaces around them; it can perfectly capture the disconnections that existentially define us, whether it’s the gulf between a loved one, the natural world or God.

For more of Mr. Faulkner's thoughts on flash fiction, see this article: https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/going-long-going-short/

Choose "Girl," "The Magic Rabbit," "Hills Like White Elephants," or "Love in LA."  How does your chosen story fit Mr. Faulkner's definition?  How does it not fit?

Compare either "Girl" or "The Magic Rabbit" with a more traditional short story like "Hills Like White Elephants," "Everyday Use," or "The Red Convertible."  How are the stories similar?  How are they different?  How is flash fiction similar?  How is it different?

Choose one of the elements of fiction (plot, character, setting, narration, symbolism, theme).  How does either "Girl" or "The Magic Rabbit" manifest this element of fiction?

In your opinion, what does "Girl" or "The Magic Rabbit" leave out?

Is Quick in "The Magic Rabbit" a good person?  Why?  Why not?

Is the speaker in "Girl" a good mother?  Why?  Why not?

Why do you think that Jamaica Kincaid wrote "Girl" the way that she did?

I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing what you have to say!