Manuscript Number : SHISRRJ236640

A short story is a narrative which is short but complete in itself, it has a proper beginning, middle and an end. But it does not simply mean a story that is short; it requires a particular kind of literary construction economy of words, short length. It fulfills the same purpose of presenting the “slice of life” through a miniature word-painting as novel does. It has to practice rigid unity with economy. Edgar Allan Poe said that it should be easily read at one sitting to preserve its unity of impression. It is not a quickie or a novel on a reduced scale. A short story has three characteristic elements. First, there should be the recognition of the familiar vivid details to create an illusion of reality short story is not a transcription of life but a dramatization of it. Second, it should arouse empathy meaning thereby that a reader should be able to identify himself with characters and situations. And third it should have readability – a fascinating story keeps the attention of the reader intact. There are some basic elements of a short story, it should have a formal plot or structure which should be spontaneous, and should not be either contrived or superfluous, and it ought to have a proper beginning and then a constant sense of movement. The nucleons Single effect story should be compressed, no digressions read at one setting. The short story uses a simple narrative account and by rearranging events in time arouses our curiosity and gives the story a meaning. A plot is artfully manipulated for artistic purposes to give pleasure and signify meaning. It is a matter of cause and effect which means a story should be logically connected to make an organic whole almost like a novel. The plot is characters in action; various stages in plot are exposition, complication, climax and denouement. The plot of a short story is less a complication resolved than a situation revealed. The modern short story abandons orderly plots and photographic realism for more complex psychological realism.