Time is a funny thing, it can be squished up into five minutes or dragged out for centuries and writers are the master manipulators of it. Short stories concentrates on giving us a snap shot into a world, whether that is a moment between two people or action over a period of time, sharply defined and closely focused. But what the writer also tells us in these stories is about the time they lived in and how people viewed their world.
I am looking at three short stories, by kiwi female writers, to see how they tell us of the time they are writing from. The first is The Yard Broom by Charlotte Grimshaw is a modern story of transition. The Glass House, by J. C. Sturm, which although not published until 2006 speaks of an early time and was probably written sometime between the late 1950s to the mid 1970s, and Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party written in 1921, a time of post war economic surge.
The Yard Broom is a grim and stark story of a young woman’s path to adulthood. It is in first person and the tone is depressed, giving us an idea of the woman’s lack of hope for a future. The language is cut back and modern, giving only giving bare facts, this shown in the way she describes herself.
“I was nineteen, with blond hair and blue eyes. I wore a filthy sleeveless reflector jacket over shorts and a T-shirt, and heavy boots with short, thick socks.”
There are social issues that affect a large part of the population. Poverty and a social underclass along with its associated issues of child neglect, domestic violence and drugs - mainly marijuana and P.
It also looks at how a person with a good life can turn to crime and deceit. This is explored as she develops a friendship with a pastor she meets. He spends a lot of time telling her ...
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“Stop the garden-party? My dear Laura, don’t be so absurd. Of course we can’t do anything of the kind. Nobody expects us to. Don’t be so extravagant.”
There is also a strong class distinction that doesn’t exist today; the baize door, the villagers living too close and casual disregard of the servants, which would today be unthinkable in all but the most snobbish of families.
In conclusion each writer is able to tap into a time period because they live in it; they use words and phrases that are not used in another time period. Each writer tells us of their time, the social issues of it and how people dealt with them.
The short stories are time capsules, allowing us to see other worlds in time and place even if they take place in our own country.
Works Cited
Katherine Mansfield. the Garden Party
Charlotte Grimshaw. the Yard Broom
J.C. Strum. The Glass House
Authors in the 1900s created short stories by writing short books that they could sell for quick cash. This is how the genre of short stories came about. As more and more stories were published, shorts became very popular because they were so short. Many people loved the idea that they could finish an entire story in one sitting. As the stories became more popular, Kurt Vonnegut, a short story writer, developed a list of 8 rules that make a perfect short story. He executes his rules in his short stories giving many examples of what the standard for short story writing should be.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, written in 1984, and Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers, published in 1925, are both aimed at adolescent and adult audiences that deal with deep disturbing themes about serious social conditions and their effects on children as adults. Both books are told in the first person; both narrators are young girls living in destitute neighborhoods; and both young girls witness the harsh realities of life for those who are poor, abused, and hopeless. Although the narrators face these overwhelming obstacles, they manage to survive their tough environments with their wits and strength remaining intact.
“Short Stories." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 127. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. 125-388. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. VALE - Mercer County Community College. 28 February 2014
1. Growing up we all heard stories. Different types of stories, some so realistic, we cling onto them farther into our lives. Stories let us see and even feel the world in different prespectives, and this is becuase of the writter or story teller. We learn, survive and entertain our selves using past experiences, which are in present shared as stories. This is why Roger Rosenblatt said, "We are a narrative species."
A narrative is specified to amuse, to attract, and grasp a reader’s attention. The types of narratives are fictitious, real or unification or both. However, they may consist of folk tale stories, mysteries, science fiction; romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, and personal experience (“Narrative,” 2008). Therefore, narrative text has five shared elements. These are setting, characters, plot, theme, and vocabulary (“Narrative and Informational Text,” 2008). Narrative literature is originally written to communicate a story. Therefore, narrative literature that is written in an excellent way will have conflicts and can discuss shared aspects of human occurrence.
A social problem is an issue that is defined by society to be exactly that; an issue. This can range from issues such as murder; which is commonly agreed on in Australia, or to issues such as smoking or loud music being played in parks, where only certain individuals in society see it as a problem. Unemployment in Australia is considered to be a social problem, due to it affecting around 6 percent of Australia’s population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). If unemployment only affected a few people then it could be said that those individuals being lazy or could not hold down a job, but due to it affecting a majority of society it then becomes a social problem.
Short stories are temporary portals to another world; there is a plethora of knowledge to learn from the scenario, and lies on top of that knowledge are simple morals. Langston Hughes writes in “Thank You Ma’m” the timeline of a single night in a slum neighborhood of an anonymous city. This “timeline” tells of the unfolding generosities that begin when a teenage boy fails an attempted robbery of Mrs. Jones. An annoyed bachelor on a British train listens to three children their aunt converse rather obnoxiously in Saki’s tale, “The Storyteller”. After a failed story attempt, the bachelor tries his hand at storytelling and gives a wonderfully satisfying, inappropriate story. These stories are laden with humor, but have, like all other stories, an underlying theme. Both themes of these stories are “implied,” and provide an excellent stage to compare and contrast a story on.
Gusfield, J. (2011). How Do We Decide What are Social Problems? Retrieved April 6, 2011 from http://www.soc.iastate.edu/sapp/soc235ch02.html
Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and established traditions, reject history, experiment, remove relativity, remove any literal meaning, and create an identity that is fluid. The rejection of history sought to provide a narrative that could be completely up for interpretation. Any literal meaning no longer existed nor was it easily given; essence became synonymous. Narrative was transformed. Epic stories, like “Hills Like White Elephants”, could occur in the sequence of a day. Stories became pushed by a flow of thoughts. The narrative became skeptical of linear plots, preferring to function in fragments. These fragments often led to open unresolved inconclusive endings. This echoes in the short story’s format. The short story functions in fragmented dialogue. Focusing on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Creating characters with unfixed, mixed views to challenge readers.
What is a social problem? A social problem is a problem that affects more than one person in a society. A social problem disrupts the daily life and well being of people in a society. Ryan described a social problem as a problem that affects humans. If a problem affects a human being than it is a social problem. “’What human problem is not a social problem?’” (Ryan 9). Social Problems affect a major part of many individuals’ rights. Some examples of social problems are: sexism, racism, homophobia, and income inequality. In this essay I will be focusing on income inequality and whether this issue is a social problem or an individual problem.
Short fiction stories are short stories that are not real. These stories are made up in the minds of the writers of the stories. Each story will have literary devices throughout it to enhance the story. These enhance literature because without them in the story, the reader would not be able to visualize the story and understand it as well as the author would like for the reader to. Strong short stories should have several literary devices throughout them to help the reader completely grasp what the writer is trying to unveil. Dynamic character makes the story in Anton Checkov’s story “The Bear.” The setting is important in Shirley Jackson’s “Lottery” and theme is important in Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace”.
Social problems are a rising problem caused by population growth. One of most well-known problems is the overcrowding of an area. Cities like New York and Washington D.C. are ridiculously crowded. Due to the increase of population in the city, the cost of living is much higher. The unemployment rate is also higher due to the lack of jobs over the amount of people living in the city. This causes for an increase in the crime rate. Criminals all have different motives, and one of the main motives is survival. Banks and stores are constantly robbed due to the high amount of unemployment. Families are stealing just to be able to put food on the table and clothes on their
Ejxenbaum uses much less opinion in his explanation of the differing styles of short fiction and those of novels. The novel is based off a history, or of travels, while the short story, which is generally more fundamental in form, is based off folklore and anecdotes. The short story must be written on the basis of a contradiction or contrast, and carries the weight of the story at the ending. The action of a novel falls before the ending, with a falling action following.
In the modern short story, the author leaves the empty space to the major event. For instance, in “Hills Like White Elephants,” the operation which the two characters were talking about is much more important than the drinks that these two characters would drink. However, the drinks were paid more attention. The types of drinks, such as Anis del Toro, beer and others, were introduced. Also, the size of drinks and whether the drinks were with water or not, were mentioned. Whereas, the operation that the girl would have was not described in detail, and only one word “operation” was