A BRIEF HISTORY & OVERVIEW OF FICTION

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A BRIEF HISTORY OVERVIEW OF FICTION
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FICTION DEFINED

• FICTION lt A LATIN WORD MEAN-ING TO FORM OR TO
  MAKE.

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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.

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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.

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HISTORY OF FICTION

• THE HISTORY OF FICTION IS A LONG COMPLEX ONE.

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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.

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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.

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MYTHS

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

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MYTHS (cont.)

• OTHER MYTHS DEAL W/ THE MYS-TERIES OF NATURE,
  INCLUDING THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE ITS
  INHABITANTS.

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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.

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LEGENDS

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

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LEGENDS (cont.)

• LEGENDS OFTEN PRAISE CHARACTER TRAITS THAT ARE
  VALUED BY A PAR-TICULAR SOCIETY.

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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.

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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).

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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 SHEEPS
  CLOTHING.

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FAIRY TALES

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

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FAIRY TALES (cont.)

• THEY ALSO FOCUS ON THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD
  EVIL, WITH GOOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHING, THOUGH
  SOMETIMES IN GROTESQUE, VIOLENT WAYS.

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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.

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PARABLES

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

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PARABLES (cont.)

• THE NEW TESTAMENT CONTAINS MANY PARABLES ABOUT
  PROPER HUMAN CONDUCT (E.G., THE GOOD SAMARITAN,
  LUKE 1025-37) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD
  HUMANS (E.G., THE SEED GROWING SECRETLY, MARK
  426-29).

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ALLEGORIES

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

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ALLEGORIES (cont.)

• EX. JOHN BUNYANS PILGRIMS 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).

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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, . . .

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EVOLUTION OF FICTION (cont.)

• . . .TO EXPLORE HUMAN CHARACTER W/OUT THE NEED TO
  PREACH MORALIZE.

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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).

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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.

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SHORT STORY (cont.)

• THE FIRST ANALYSIS OF SHORT STORY STRUCTURE
  TECHNIQUE WAS A REVIEW BY EDGAR ALLAN POE OF
  NATHANIEL HAWTHORNES TWICE-TOLD TALES (1842).

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POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)

• POE STRESSED WHAT HE CALLED UNITY OF EFFECT OR
  IMPRESSION ACHIEVED THROUGH SUSTAINED TONE,
  REPETITION, CONTINUITY, MOMENTUM.

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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.

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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

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19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)

• CHARACTERS BECAME MORE FULLY DEVELOPED, BEGAN TO
  HAVE SPIRI-TUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH.
• PLOTS BECAME MORE COMPLEX, SETTINGS MORE FULLY
  DESCRIBED.

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19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)

• OFTEN LED READERS TO WONDER QUESTION RATHER
  THAN TO ACCEPT A DIRECTLY STATED MORAL OR LESS-ON.

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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.

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REALISTIC FICTION

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

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REALISTIC FICTION (cont.)

• SETTINGS ARE USUALLY MORE THAN BRIEFLY SKETCHED
  BACKDROPS.
• READERS ARE EXPECTED TO FIND MEANING FOR
  THEMSELVES.

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SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS

• GENERALLY COMPRESSED TIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED.
• CAREFULLY, CONSCIOUSLY MADE (HOWEVER SIMPLE,
  NATURAL, FORMLESS THEY MAY SEEM).

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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.)

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SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS (cont.)

• FOCUS IS OFTEN ON A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT OF
  PERCEPTION.
• OPERATE BY SUGGESTIVENESS IN-DIRECTION.