(1)  "Short stories" may be as short as 500 words or as long as 10,000 words.  They often rely more on narrative (ie the 
story) than on character descriptions.  This is because there is often not enough time in a short story to develop character.
By contrast, in a novel, which may be twenty or more times longer than a short story, character development often 
plays a much stronger role.

(2)  Notice the place of the narrator in a short story.  Is the narrator a first person narrator?  Or is the narrator a 
third person narrator.





  
 
    
Third 
      Person Narrator 
    
First 
      Person Narrator
  
  
 
    
Uses 
      he/she/it/they etc 
    
Use 
      I/we
  
  
 
    
 
      
Often 
        called an "omniscient narrator" (omniscient = "everywhere")
    
    
This 
      narrator can only give a limited perspective on events 
  
  
 
    
Tends 
      to be more distant and objective. Tends to be very reliable (eg. Jane 
      Austen's novels) 
    
Tends 
      to be more subjective and is sometimes unreliable (eg in Conrad's novels)
  
  
 
    
Generally 
      uses a more formal style
    
Often 
      uses a conversational style
  
  
 
    
Often 
      used in works where there are large numbers of characters, and a number 
      of very important characters
    
Often 
      used when the work is mainly about just one character, and tells the story 
      of his/her experience
  




(3)  Study the ways in which the characters mentioned in the short story you are studying are introduced.  For example, 
in the short stories we shall be studying, we shall look at the different ways in which characters are introduced.

(4)  What images recur (ie are repeated) in the short story that you are reading?  This can often be an indication that 
the image is actually representing an important idea - an idea that the short story is trying to convey to you.  

(5)  Is the story attempting to teach a of (moral) lesson?  Often there is some kind of morality behind a short story.
The words "morality," "immoral" and "amoral" are sometimes useful words when talking about the intentions of a short 
story.

(6)  How does the short story end?  Some short stories have a neat ending in which the problem or tension that has been
described in the first part of the short story is resolved in the last part.  One technique that has often been used has 
been the so-called "twist-in-the-tail" (or, as some people refer to it, the "twist-in-the-tale").  This involves a sudden and
unexpected ending - often making use of the idea of "irony."  These days, short stories of this type have become less
popular.  

(7)  Many modern writers have tended to leave their endings more "open" so that there is no obvious solution to the 
problems and issues that have been raised.  That is why in the short stories that we shall be studying we may find 
difficulties of interpretation, particularly with regard to the endings. 




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