A BRIEF HISTORY & OVERVIEW OF FICTION

FICTION DEFINED

FICTION < A LATIN WORD

MEAN-ING TO FORM OR TO

MAKE.

FICTION DEFINED (cont.)

A FICTION IS A “MADE” STORY, AN

IMAGINED & INVENTED LITERARY

COMPOSITION DESIGNED TO ENTER-

TAIN (AND SOMETIMES INSTRUCT),

TO MAKE READERS FEEL AND THINK.

FICTION DEFINED (cont.)

TODAY THE TERM “FICTION” IS

USUALLY APPLIED ONLY TO SHORT

STORIES, NOVELS, & NOVELLAS, BUT

OTHER LITERARY FORMS (E.G., PLAYS)

ALSO HAVE FICTIONAL ELEMENTS.

HISTORY OF FICTION

THE HISTORY OF FICTION IS A

LONG & COMPLEX ONE.

ANTIQUITY OF STORIES

STORIES ARE A VERY ANCIENT

HUMAN PRODUCT, PRECEDING THE

INVENTION OF WRITING, AND

THERE IS NO IDENTI-FIABLE “FIRST”

STORYTELLER OR WORK OF FICTION.

EARLY FORMS OF FICTION

THE MODERN NOVEL & SHORT

STORY WERE PRECEDED BY MANY

EARLIER FORMS OF FICTION, SUCH

AS MYTHS, LEGENDS, FABLES, FAIRY

TALES, PAR-ABLES, AND

ALLEGORIES.

MYTHS

TELL STORIES OF THE ORIGINS &

EXPLOITS OF GODS & GODDESSES

FROM VARIOUS ANCIENT

CULTURES, SUCH AS GREECE,

ROME, & SCANDI-NAVIA.

MYTHS (cont.)

OTHER MYTHS DEAL W/ THE MYS-

TERIES OF NATURE, INCLUDING

THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

& ITS INHABITANTS.

MYTHS (cont.)

THE PURPOSE OF MYTHS IS TO HELP

PEOPLE MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD.

THE GODS ARE DESCRIBED AS EX-

PERIENCING HUMAN EMOTIONS &

FACING HUMAN CONFLICTS.

LEGENDS

RECOUNT THE AMAZING ACHIEVE-

MENTS OF FICTIONAL CHARACTERS

OR EXAGGERATE THE EXPLOITS OF

ACTUAL PEOPLE (E.G., PAUL BUNYAN).

LEGENDS (cont.)

LEGENDS OFTEN PRAISE

CHARACTER TRAITS THAT ARE

VALUED BY A PAR-TICULAR

SOCIETY.

LEGENDS (cont.)

EX.: PAUL BUNYAN WAS A RESOURCE-

FUL LUMBERJACK WHO WORKED

HARD, NEVER BACKED DOWN FROM A

FIGHT, & ENJOYED A GOOD PARTY—

ALL QUALITIES ADMIRED BY EARLY

AMERICAN PIONEERS.

FABLES

USUALLY FEATURE ANIMALS WITH

HUMAN TRAITS & STATE AN EXPLICIT

LESSON (E.G., SLOW BUT STEADY

WINS THE RACE, APPEARANCES ARE

DECEP-TIVE, ONE GOOD TURN

DESERVES ANOTHER).

FABLES (cont.)

THE BEST-KNOWN FABLES WERE

WRIT-TEN BY A GREEK SLAVE NAMED

AESOP (600 B.C.E.), AND INCLUDE

STORIES SUCH AS ANDROCLES & THE

LION, THE TORTOISE & THE HARE,

AND THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.

FAIRY TALES

THIS FICTIONAL FORM OFTEN

FEATURES SUPERNATURAL

BEINGS LIKE GIANTS, TROLLS, &

FAIRY GOD-MOTHERS.

FAIRY TALES (cont.)

THEY ALSO FOCUS ON THE

STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD & EVIL,

WITH GOOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHING,

THOUGH SOMETIMES IN

GROTESQUE, VIOLENT WAYS.

FAIRY TALES (cont.)

THE BEST-KNOWN COLLECTION OF

THESE STORIES IS GRIMMS’ FAIRY

TALES, WHICH INCLUDES CINDER-

ELLA, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD,

HANSEL & GRETEL, RAPUNZEL, AND

OTHER WELL-KNOWN FAVORITES.

PARABLES

STORIES THAT TEACH A LESSON

OR EXPLAIN A COMPLEX

SPIRITUAL CONCEPT THROUGH

THE USE OF ANALOGY.

PARABLES (cont.)

THE NEW TESTAMENT CONTAINS

MANY PARABLES ABOUT PROPER

HUMAN CONDUCT (E.G., THE GOOD

SAMARITAN, LUKE 10:25-37) & THE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD &

HUMANS (E.G., THE SEED GROWING

SECRETLY, MARK 4:26-29).

ALLEGORIES

SYMBOLIC STORIES THAT TEACH A

MORAL LESSON AND IN WHICH

EACH CHARACTER, ACTION, &

SETTING STANDS FOR A SPECIFIC

MEANING.

ALLEGORIES (cont.)

EX.: JOHN BUNYAN’S PILGRIM’S

PROGRESS (1678), IN WHICH A

CHARACTER NAMED CHRISTIAN, WHO

EMBODIES THE VIRTUES OF

CHRISTIANITY, JOURNEYS THROUGH A

WORLD OF TEMPTATIONS & DANGERS

(CITY OF DESTRUCTION, VALLEY OF

HUMILIA-TION, ETC.) EN ROUTE TO THE

CELESTIAL CITY (HEAVEN).

EVOLUTION OF FICTION

OVER THE COURSE OF CENTURIES,

WRITERS IN MANY LANGUAGES BE-

GAN TO FOCUS MORE ON THE

ARTIST-IC & ENTERTAINMENT

POSSIBILITIES OF PROSE, . . .

EVOLUTION OF FICTION (cont.)

. . .TO EXPLORE HUMAN

CHARACTER W/OUT THE NEED

TO PREACH & MORALIZE.

MODERN FORMS OF FICTION

MANY 19TH-CENTURY WORKS NOW RE-

FERRED TO AS NOVELS WERE CALLED

“ROMANCES” BY THEIR AUTHORS (E.G.,

THE SCARLET LETTER, MOBY-DICK).

SHORT STORY

THIS TERM WAS FIRST USED IN THE

U.S. IN THE 1880s, BUT DID NOT

APPEAR IN THE OXFORD ENGLISH

DICTIONARY UNTIL 1933.

SHORT STORY (cont.)

THE FIRST ANALYSIS OF SHORT

STORY STRUCTURE & TECHNIQUE

WAS A REVIEW BY EDGAR ALLAN

POE OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S

TWICE-TOLD TALES (1842).

POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)

POE STRESSED WHAT HE CALLED

“UNITY OF EFFECT OR IMPRESSION”

ACHIEVED THROUGH SUSTAINED

TONE, REPETITION, CONTINUITY, &

MOMENTUM.

POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)

ACCORDING TO POE, EVERY WORD OF

A STORY (AS IN A POEM) SHOULD CON-

TRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL EFFECT.

POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)

SHOULD BE READABLE IN ONE SIT-

TING (ABOUT 30 MINS. TO 2 HRS.),

BEYOND WHICH EXCITEMENT CAN

NOT BE SUSTAINED.

CALLED HIS STORIES “TALES”

19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)

CHARACTERS BECAME MORE FULLY

DEVELOPED, BEGAN TO HAVE SPIRI-

TUAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH.

PLOTS BECAME MORE COMPLEX,

SETTINGS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED.

19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)

OFTEN LED READERS TO

WONDER & QUESTION RATHER

THAN TO ACCEPT A DIRECTLY

STATED MORAL OR LESS-ON.

NONREALISTIC FICTION

READING THIS KIND OF LITERATURE

REQUIRES THE “WILLING SUSPENSION

OF DISBELIEF” (S. T. COLERIDGE)—I.E.,

WILLINGNESS TO TAKE SERIOUSLY &

TO ENJOY CHARACTERS, PLOTS, &

SETTINGS THAT ARE STRANGE &

IMPLAUSIBLE.

REALISTIC FICTION

FOCUSES ON SCENES & EVENTS OF

EVERYDAY LIFE.

CHARACTERS ARE FULLY

DEVELOPED, ORDINARY PEOPLE FULL

OF COMPLEX-TIES &

CONTRADICTIONS.

REALISTIC FICTION (cont.)

SETTINGS ARE USUALLY MORE THAN

BRIEFLY SKETCHED BACKDROPS.

READERS ARE EXPECTED TO FIND

MEANING FOR THEMSELVES.

SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS

GENERALLY COMPRESSED &

TIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED.

CAREFULLY, CONSCIOUSLY MADE

(HOWEVER SIMPLE, NATURAL, &

FORMLESS THEY MAY SEEM).

SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS (cont.)

ESSENTIALLY DRAMATIC, “SHOWING”

RATHER THAN “TELLING.” TEND TO

REVEAL CHARACTER IN ACTION OR

UNDER STRESS.

(NOVELS, BY CONTRAST, TEND TO SHOW

CHARACTERS DEVELOPING OVER TIME.)

SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS

(cont.)

FOCUS IS OFTEN ON A SIGNIFICANT

MOMENT OF PERCEPTION.

OPERATE BY SUGGESTIVENESS &

IN-DIRECTION.