The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-06-19
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
AMERICAN SHORT STORY
Louise Wheeler.

- 1N1H -
Falls High school.)
America. our own beloved country,
great in the glory of its mighty youth
has developed wonderfully in nobility
and strength to greatness. The east
ern frontier has marched on to the
Pacific coast until it is lost in the
waves of hat calm ocean; the earth
steadily yields her wealth of resources
and education has extended its illum-
mating influence until there is a host
of cultured and educated people who
enjoy the best and noblest that is
produced by the work of man. Among
these are splendid achievements in
education, art. science and literature,
all of which have their most interest
ing history of development. But
literature, that golden key with which
one can unlock the chest of knOwl-
edge and become intimate with all the
peoples and events of the past and
present n all the beautiful God
given thoughts that mankind has ut
tered in all the recorded ages which /
descends upon us in a gentle steady
rain, refreshing our souls, has had
its wonderful development also. There !
is one form of literature that we en-
Joy continually in books, magazines
and newspapers today which also has
had it's own development. 1t is the
great short story. Nowadays, we are
being fairly deluged with them. The
majority of them will receive but
passing notice but the worthy short
story almost perfect in its kind, is
distinguished from all the rest and
1t will endure to be admired and en-
jcyed in the years to come.
The development of the American
short story may easily be traced in
eight famous and representatives
short stories from the time of Wash
ington Irving to Mary f. wilkins Free
man of the present. These stories
show how the slow e~asy-going tale
changed to the highly centralized mar
rative of single effect. Their attitudes
picture romance and realism, human
and pathos. symbolism and impress
sionlsm. Geographically. the settings
are placed in the old world, In the
mountains and farms of the New Eng
land, the rough frontier life Of the
west, and the lives of rich and poor in
cosmopolitan New York. They are
founded on elemental passions-love.
ambition. self-sacrifice, sympathy and
anger. I'm general, these short
stories show a development from the
vague n faraway, toward that high
er realism that is a sympathetic under
standing of life"
The tale was the f%orerunner of the
American short story. The tale is n
liesurely form of storytelling or sim
pie narration. 1t is non-centralized
and unemphatic and nc one special
climax is produced. Washington
Irving brought the tale to high excel
lence. His charming story. 1.-THE Rose
- Al. A. 80
ample of the tale. The introduction is
long and it gives the entire setting of
the story. Then the story itself be-
gins in a leisurely. graceful style.
There is no undue haste to finish the
tale in order to know the outcome,
for every incident bears its own in
terest as is about as important as the
other. The story is pure romance
fancifully localized and definitely re
lated to history. Like most of the
tales Of that day. it deals with the
supernatural and the historical. Still
this beautiful tale has an originality
n distinction of its own. The life
like characters make il remarkably
vivid and animated. Tender humOI
and go%od-naldred satire throw a mel
low glow On the whole tale and a rich
sensuous effect is created by the
AA0AA1 anu IL ~ "a "a
words inc the sentences flow il
melodious rythm. Irving indeed
brought the tale to high excellence
Hawthorne and Poe we're the frs
to write the short story as a %literar!
form. With their mastery art. thu
tale became the short story highly
centralized and having a single effect
The plots. details and atmosuher'
were all in harmony with the singl,
effect that they wished to produce
This new form. which is modern de
veloped many new artistic p~ossibilitie
that the ancient tale was not capable
of. H~awthorne's story. Ambition
from Twice Told Tales" is one of on
first examples of the short stor.
which preceded Poe's short stories
This tale is one of the most perfec
examples of development, proportion
and suggestion. The whole story i
filled Will the flavor of the New Eng
LAM spirit and it is puritan in it
attitude. There is a very short in
PRODUCTION. Then the tale is told in
clear and simple style. yet poetic in it
play of fancy, and il rises forcefull
and superbly to a complete china,
Alter the climax is reached. the con
cluslon is very short. including bu
n paragraph. Nothing can he omit
tea IN the whole tale. The slngl
effect produced by this story is melan
choly or the sense of TRAGEDY. Ever
description. every play of fancy, ever
word contributes TO the melanchol
eject as "the dreary blast walled a
he was entering and went moanin
from the door" Such a sense of for,
bOding leads one to expect TRACED
and the tragedy of it is that it migl
ave been.
Summing up. Hawthorne contrib
ted to the short story these things
single effect, brevity. the dignity
Puritan morality and New Englar
settings.
Many have called that great geniu
Edgar Allen Poe. The Father of Il
American Short Story" In 1912, I