history of fiction
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A BRIEF HISTORY & OVERVIEW OF FICTION
FICTION DEFINED
FICTION < A LATIN WORD
MEAN-ING TO FORM OR TO
MAKE.
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.
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.
HISTORY OF FICTION
THE HISTORY OF FICTION IS A
LONG & COMPLEX ONE.
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.
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.
MYTHS
TELL STORIES OF THE ORIGINS &
EXPLOITS OF GODS & GODDESSES
FROM VARIOUS ANCIENT
CULTURES, SUCH AS GREECE,
ROME, & SCANDI-NAVIA.
MYTHS (cont.)
OTHER MYTHS DEAL W/ THE MYS-
TERIES OF NATURE, INCLUDING
THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
& ITS INHABITANTS.
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.
LEGENDS
RECOUNT THE AMAZING ACHIEVE-
MENTS OF FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
OR EXAGGERATE THE EXPLOITS OF
ACTUAL PEOPLE (E.G., PAUL BUNYAN).
LEGENDS (cont.)
LEGENDS OFTEN PRAISE
CHARACTER TRAITS THAT ARE
VALUED BY A PAR-TICULAR
SOCIETY.
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.
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).
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 SHEEP’S CLOTHING.
FAIRY TALES
THIS FICTIONAL FORM OFTEN
FEATURES SUPERNATURAL
BEINGS LIKE GIANTS, TROLLS, &
FAIRY GOD-MOTHERS.
FAIRY TALES (cont.)
THEY ALSO FOCUS ON THE
STRUGGLE BETWEEN GOOD & EVIL,
WITH GOOD ALWAYS TRIUMPHING,
THOUGH SOMETIMES IN
GROTESQUE, VIOLENT WAYS.
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.
PARABLES
STORIES THAT TEACH A LESSON
OR EXPLAIN A COMPLEX
SPIRITUAL CONCEPT THROUGH
THE USE OF ANALOGY.
PARABLES (cont.)
THE NEW TESTAMENT CONTAINS
MANY PARABLES ABOUT PROPER
HUMAN CONDUCT (E.G., THE GOOD
SAMARITAN, LUKE 10:25-37) & THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD &
HUMANS (E.G., THE SEED GROWING
SECRETLY, MARK 4:26-29).
ALLEGORIES
SYMBOLIC STORIES THAT TEACH A
MORAL LESSON AND IN WHICH
EACH CHARACTER, ACTION, &
SETTING STANDS FOR A SPECIFIC
MEANING.
ALLEGORIES (cont.)
EX.: JOHN BUNYAN’S PILGRIM’S
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).
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, . . .
EVOLUTION OF FICTION (cont.)
. . .TO EXPLORE HUMAN
CHARACTER W/OUT THE NEED
TO PREACH & MORALIZE.
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).
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.
SHORT STORY (cont.)
THE FIRST ANALYSIS OF SHORT
STORY STRUCTURE & TECHNIQUE
WAS A REVIEW BY EDGAR ALLAN
POE OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S
TWICE-TOLD TALES (1842).
POE ON THE SHORT STORY (cont.)
POE STRESSED WHAT HE CALLED
“UNITY OF EFFECT OR IMPRESSION”
ACHIEVED THROUGH SUSTAINED
TONE, REPETITION, CONTINUITY, &
MOMENTUM.
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.
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”
19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)
CHARACTERS BECAME MORE FULLY
DEVELOPED, BEGAN TO HAVE SPIRI-
TUAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH.
PLOTS BECAME MORE COMPLEX,
SETTINGS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED.
19TH-CENTURY TALES (cont.)
OFTEN LED READERS TO
WONDER & QUESTION RATHER
THAN TO ACCEPT A DIRECTLY
STATED MORAL OR LESS-ON.
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.
REALISTIC FICTION
FOCUSES ON SCENES & EVENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE.
CHARACTERS ARE FULLY
DEVELOPED, ORDINARY PEOPLE FULL
OF COMPLEX-TIES &
CONTRADICTIONS.
REALISTIC FICTION (cont.)
SETTINGS ARE USUALLY MORE THAN
BRIEFLY SKETCHED BACKDROPS.
READERS ARE EXPECTED TO FIND
MEANING FOR THEMSELVES.
SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS
GENERALLY COMPRESSED &
TIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED.
CAREFULLY, CONSCIOUSLY MADE
(HOWEVER SIMPLE, NATURAL, &
FORMLESS THEY MAY SEEM).
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.)
SHORT STORY CHARACTERISTICS
(cont.)
FOCUS IS OFTEN ON A SIGNIFICANT
MOMENT OF PERCEPTION.
OPERATE BY SUGGESTIVENESS &
IN-DIRECTION.
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