This document provides an overview of the history and evolution of fiction. It discusses early fictional forms like myths, legends, fables and fairy tales. It also outlines the development of novels and short stories in the 19th century. Edgar Allan Poe is cited for his analysis of short story structure, advocating for unity of effect and readability in one sitting. The document contrasts realistic fiction, which depicts everyday life, with nonrealistic fiction, which requires a suspension of disbelief.

1. A BRIEF HISTORY &
OVERVIEW OF FICTION

2. FICTION DEFINED
FICTION < A LATIN WORD MEAN-
ING TO FORM OR TO MAKE.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. HISTORY OF FICTION
THE HISTORY OF FICTION IS A LONG
& COMPLEX ONE.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. MYTHS
TELL STORIES OF THE ORIGINS &
EXPLOITS OF GODS & GODDESSES
FROM VARIOUS ANCIENT CULTURES,
SUCH AS GREECE, ROME, & SCANDI-
NAVIA.

12. MYTHS (cont.)
OTHER MYTHS DEAL W/ THE MYS-
TERIES OF NATURE, INCLUDING THE
CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE & ITS
INHABITANTS.

14. 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.

15. LEGENDS
RECOUNT THE AMAZING ACHIEVE-
MENTS OF FICTIONAL CHARACTERS OR
EXAGGERATE THE EXPLOITS OF
ACTUAL PEOPLE (E.G., PAUL BUNYAN).

17. LEGENDS (cont.)
LEGENDS OFTEN PRAISE CHARACTER
TRAITS THAT ARE VALUED BY A PAR-
TICULAR SOCIETY.

18. 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.

19. 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).

20. 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.

22. FAIRY TALES
THIS FICTIONAL FORM OFTEN
FEATURES SUPERNATURAL BEINGS
LIKE GIANTS, TROLLS, & FAIRY GOD-
MOTHERS.

23. FAIRY TALES (cont.)
THEY ALSO FOCUS ON THE STRUGGLE
BETWEEN GOOD & EVIL, WITH GOOD
ALWAYS TRIUMPHING, THOUGH
SOMETIMES IN GROTESQUE, VIOLENT
WAYS.

24. 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.

26. PARABLES
STORIES THAT TEACH A LESSON OR
EXPLAIN A COMPLEX SPIRITUAL
CONCEPT THROUGH THE USE OF
ANALOGY.

27. 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).

28. ALLEGORIES
SYMBOLIC STORIES THAT TEACH A
MORAL LESSON AND IN WHICH EACH
CHARACTER, ACTION, & SETTING
STANDS FOR A SPECIFIC MEANING.

29. 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).

31. 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, . . .

32. EVOLUTION OF FICTION (cont.)
. . .TO EXPLORE HUMAN CHARACTER
W/OUT THE NEED TO PREACH &
MORALIZE.

33. 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).

34. 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.

35. 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).

38. POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)
POE STRESSED WHAT HE CALLED
“UNITY OF EFFECT OR IMPRESSION”
ACHIEVED THROUGH SUSTAINED
TONE, REPETITION, CONTINUITY, &
MOMENTUM.

39. 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.

40. 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”

41. 19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)
CHARACTERS BECAME MORE FULLY
DEVELOPED, BEGAN TO HAVE SPIRI-
TUAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH.
PLOTS BECAME MORE COMPLEX,
SETTINGS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED.

42. 19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)
OFTEN LED READERS TO WONDER &
QUESTION RATHER THAN TO ACCEPT
A DIRECTLY STATED MORAL OR LESS-
ON.

43. 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.

44. REALISTIC FICTION
FOCUSES ON SCENES & EVENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
CHARACTERS ARE FULLY DEVELOPED,
ORDINARY PEOPLE FULL OF COMPLEX-
TIES & CONTRADICTIONS.

45. REALISTIC FICTION (cont.)
SETTINGS ARE USUALLY MORE THAN
BRIEFLY SKETCHED BACKDROPS.
READERS ARE EXPECTED TO FIND
MEANING FOR THEMSELVES.

46. SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS
GENERALLY COMPRESSED & TIGHTLY
CONSTRUCTED.
CAREFULLY, CONSCIOUSLY MADE
(HOWEVER SIMPLE, NATURAL, &
FORMLESS THEY MAY SEEM).

47. 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.)

48. SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS
(cont.)
FOCUS IS OFTEN ON A SIGNIFICANT
MOMENT OF PERCEPTION.
OPERATE BY SUGGESTIVENESS & IN-
DIRECTION.