1. Understanding Fiction
Classifications of Fiction

2. Origins of Modern Fiction
Narrative: tells a story by presenting events in logical, orderly fashion
Natural human impulse to “tell stories”
Oral History of any culture includes stories, songs, etc.
Beowulf-oldest epic in English language
Romance: Le Morte d’Arthur
Novels

3. Short Stories
Precursors for the short story: anecdotes, parables, fables folk tales, and fairy tales
Definition of short story: a narrative that is distinguished by its relative brevity, which creates a specific set of expectations and possibilities. (Short story writer must use his or her “space” wisely.)
Many short stories feature a character experiencing an “epiphany”

4. Kinds of Fiction Short Story (approximately 1500 words)
Novella (extended short story)
Short-Short Stories (under 1500 words)
Flash fiction ( words)
Micro-fiction ( words)
Metafiction (story about the writing process)
Prose Poems
(The Internet has given rise to new possibilities for arranging, presenting, and disseminating text or fiction).

5. Examples of Different Kinds of Fiction
“Happy Endings” – metafiction
“Girl” – stream-of-consciousness monologue

6. Elements of Fiction—allow readers to look “beneath the surface” of fiction
Plot
Character
Setting
Point of View
Style, Tone, Language
Symbol, Allegory, Myth
Theme