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Many American short stories from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries can clearly be said
to follow a strictly defined scheme or formula in which a dramatic and memorable
effect was produced within the confines of brevity whilst including a clear exposition,
crisis and resolution. ...
Edgar Allan Poe, together with his contemporaries Washington Irving and Nathaniel
Hawthorne, will be best remembered for their search for the ideal form or formula for
a short story. Some critics, such as Henry James, even claim that they were the
inventors of the American short story genre. ...
More modern writers however, in their quest for individual style, and to reflect
historical changes, have broken traditional literary boundaries in their search for the
identity and support of their gender, race, generation or political beliefs.
’A White Heron’ illustrates how a writer who is poised between 19th century and 20th
century values is able to work within the form advocated earlier in the 19th century.
’The Petrified Man’ and ’Neigbor Rosicky’ on the otherhand do not necessarily
complicate this definition – in fact, we might agree that they challenge and re-define
the formula of the American short story, to meet the needs of new audiences.
Approximate Word count = 1322
Approximate Pages = 5.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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