Thread: Is the Short Story an Endangered Species?

"Did you know," a friend once told me, "there are less than 1,000 Giant Pandas alive in the world?"

"No, I didn't. Is that true?"

"Yeah." She pouted to make sure I understood how she felt about it, then added, "Isn't that just terrible? They're so beautiful. They're like fluffy cow bears."

Recently I found myself in a conversation with a friend who, by her own admission, is an avid reader. When I asked her for some recommendations, she cited several novels, the majority of which she had discovered on the front displays at the book store. She then asked me if I had any recommendations myself. I mentioned several short stories. She hesitated, then replied, "short stories?", as if I had said something absurd, like "I stand on my head when eating my meals, because food tastes better that way."

"Sure," I replied. "You don't like short stories?""

"Well, it's not that, but... I like real books." As if the merits of a Short Story were, literally, nonexistant.

We discussed the issue, and her perspective became clear. Short stories, as she saw them, were smaller, inferior versions of novels, and why would anyone waste the time reading something so insignificant when they can read a full-length book?

To her, the Short Story belonged in the category of Sunday morning comic strips and the smut written in indelible ink inside public restroom stalls. It offered nothing of value -- how could it? -- and was nothing more than a cheap, miniscule imitation of what the skilled writers were doing.

I wondered if her perspective was unique to her alone, or if it was a more widespread opinion. So I asked around. Virtually everyone I spoke to considered the Novel to be the only form of fiction acceptable. Some, even, weren't even aware of other forms.

"Short Story? You mean like, a children's book?"

The rare few that had heard of Short Stories admitted they considered it something amateurs do, like the shaky waddling of a newborn horse trying to walk for the first time.

"Oh! You're a writer? What do you write?"
"Short Stories."
"Aww, how cute. You keep at it, don't give up. You'll get there one day!"

I went looking to the book store for answers. Surely there were Short Story authors thriving somewhere among the Novelists, sapplings bristling on the forest floor between the trunks of the mighty oaks. Short Story collections, I was told by the girl typing away at the computer, could be found "in the... Anthologies section?" She spoke the word anthologies with exaggerated slowness and an elevated pitch at the end, as if she found the word foreign.

The anthologies section was slim and sad looking; an emaciated group of dusty books huddled against each other to stave off the cold and loneliness. Their unbroken spines stared at me like the hopeful eyes of abandoned kennel dogs. To one side, the Humor books lay strewn about, their page corners bent and thumbed through, sprawled like happy drunks. On the other side, the glossy red and black Mystery books, posed with their hats pulled down over their eyes, their trenchcoat collars upturned, were being carefully examined by customers with their hands on their chins.

I ended up purchasing two anthologies, leaving a noticable gap. The remaining books slumped morosely against each other.

With my receipt came another, smaller piece of paper. It said,

You might also like these titles...

The Pushcart Prize - Best of the Small Presses
The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories: The Best Stories of the Year
The Best American Short Stories

Well, I thought, at least somebody still acknowledges the value of Short Stories, and the writers who create them, even if the general public seems completely unaware of them at all.

After reading some of the dazzling talents, though, and wondering why I'd never heard of them before, I'm left asking: Is the Shorty Story the literary equivalent of a fluffy cow bear?

Huh, I never really considered the notion myself. I always assumed there was some hidden vast audience of intellectuals who brought, read, and gossiped about short stories. Then again I often find myself underestimating the blights of ADD culture. That said this is a very well written and engaging piece. The first sentence caught my eye and the next the I knew I was at the final sentence pondering. So kudos...

Awwww...

You know, I had never read a short story until I read one on this forum. How odd! I guess I always thought the same thing. Novels where were the goods were at. I know better now and will look for short story books when I'm out.

Not all people are like that though. My mother, my sister and my friend's mother said they love short stories because they don't have to spend so much time invested in them. They can sit down, enjoy the story under an hour, and love every minute of it. Even my old highschool girlfriend, said she enjoys a short story much more. So, there are people out there that do look for them.

Have no fear! Short stories will always be in demand, too! ;0)

Short stories are as appealing as a donkey. People want full horses, and not small novelette horses. The facts they consume a truck of feed, produce out a trailer load of fly attracting smelly waste, and falling off can result in broken bones doesn't matter; only a full sized novel will do.

Short stories are like training wheels to a bike, a donkey to a horse; fine for 4 year olds, but not for the 'mature' reader. And everybody wants to be mature don't they.

Originally Posted by Rustgold

Short stories are as appealing as a donkey. People want full horses, and not small novelette horses. The facts they consume a truck of feed, **** out a trailer load of fly attracting smelly waste, and falling off can result in broken bones doesn't matter; only a full sized novel will do.

Short stories are like training wheels to a bike, a donkey to a horse; fine for 4 year olds, but not for the 'mature' reader. And everybody wants to be mature don't they.

That's odd. I wonder why Readers Digest and other magazines do so well? I wonder why you see them everywhere. Are they not loaded with known brilliant short-stories? I like short-stories, and I don't think I'm a 4-year-old. I think I'm a very mature adult that likes to enjoy a short story, now that I've been introduced to them.

Your friend is patently an idiot, if not for dismissing an entire range of literature, but for reading works almost exclusively advertised in book store shop fronts.

I've experienced this phenomena too, for what it's worth. It seems whenever I mention Chekhov, Leskov, Kuprin, Pushkin, Turgenev, O. Henry, Kipling and their international counterparts, people shoot me an oblivious stare as if I'm lecturing them in Mandarin.

As for persons looking at the short story as something of a lesser thing to write; well, I have no idea where that's come from. My personal belief is that unlike the novel, short stories require the utmost use of le mot juste, the right amount of dialogue, events and much else, as literary estate is scarce.

Originally Posted by Rustgold

Short stories are as appealing as a donkey. People want full horses, and not small novelette horses. The facts they consume a truck of feed, **** out a trailer load of fly attracting smelly waste, and falling off can result in broken bones doesn't matter; only a full sized novel will do.

Short stories are like training wheels to a bike, a donkey to a horse; fine for 4 year olds, but not for the 'mature' reader. And everybody wants to be mature don't they.

Ridiculous.

In many ways we are in a prime age for short stories. There is an enormous number of on-line magazines (I hate the term e-zine) where the trade is thriving, while the print markets for short fiction seem to be evaporating like rain on hot pavement. I think -- I hope -- there will always be places to find good short fiction.

Those who look down on the medium probably haven't read much of it. Writing a good short story is, in many ways, tougher than writing a novel. The discipline required is far greater.

My wife doesn't care for short fiction even though she is an avid reader. She likes to be immersed in the story for longer than a short piece offers. I think she is representative of many folks who choose not to read short stories. I've always been enthralled with the form, some of the first books I ever read were collections of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe (the father of the form) and Ray Bradbury.

Long live the short story!

It may have to do with the perception that one gets more for their time / money with novels, as opposed to short stories. Personally I love both writing and reading short fiction. It allows me to read it in an evening and move on to something else. Carver is one of my favorites.

Originally Posted by philistine

Ridiculous.

Dear, dear, dear; it looks like my assessment has gone down well. I consider donkeys useful creatures, but try selling a donkey to the average girl.

Originally Posted by Rustgold

Dear, dear, dear; it looks like my assessment has gone down well. I consider donkeys useful creatures, but try selling a donkey to the average girl.

Monster, assassin of the arts. Little fool; a mixture of depravity and idiocy.

Baudelaire, on the average girl.

Originally Posted by Rustgold

Short stories are as appealing as a donkey. People want full horses, and not small novelette horses. The facts they consume a truck of feed, **** out a trailer load of fly attracting smelly waste, and falling off can result in broken bones doesn't matter; only a full sized novel will do.

Short stories are like training wheels to a bike, a donkey to a horse; fine for 4 year olds, but not for the 'mature' reader. And everybody wants to be mature don't they.

Some people might say something similar about motorbikes compared to cars.

Funny--one of my coworkers told me that he's an avid reader of short stories. Poe, Bradbury, De Lint, and several others. If you need evidence of how well short stories thrive, go to Duotrope and look at the vast amount of markets that publish them.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

Some people might say something similar about motorbikes compared to cars.

From James Dean to Fonzie to Arnie, every cool icon has needed a motorbike for generations. It's been the biggest fear of fathers for just as long, that their daughters would fall in love with bikes instead of being a good girl in a kitchen. It's been what every young man has needed to lift his image among the ladies, much to the girl's oldies distress.

Stupid flaming only highlights a lack in knowledge.

Short stories aren't dead. Most of the short story authors mentioned in this thread are. How curious.

Originally Posted by Rustgold

Stupid flaming only highlights a lack in knowledge.

A donkey-lover wouldn't see it as flaming. It all depends on one's perspective.