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The Secret To Analyzing Short Stories And Writing About Them
If there's no change by the end, there's no story. And, of course, that means there's GOTTA be something definite at the beginning of a story that changes at the end. That definite thing at the start is always a strong value statement by or about the main character. It is always a strong evaluation or description about a trait, characteristic, goal, problem, or desire that is related directly to the main character. This is the OldView. In William Faulkner's short story, "A Rose for Emily," for instance, the very first sentence contains the OldView strong value statement that the townspeople had a "respectful affection" for Miss Emily Grierson, the main character. And in the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell, the first few paragraphs have the main character, Rainsford, stating the strong OldView value that, "The world is made up of two classes?the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters." Since an OldView has to be established early on, that gives us our first clear step in analyzing a short story: STEP #1: Spot the OldView strong value statement, early on Now you're wondering, aren't you, "So just how does this OldView thingy change by the end of a short story?" Glad you asked. You see, through years of study and research, I've found that you can change a familiar, already accepted view in only one?or some combination?of the following ways to make it "new:" Reverse Add Subtract Substitute Rearrange These five processes are what I call the 5 NewView Options. That seems like an absurdly small number to cover all things new, doesn't it? But that's the real deal, as they say. Just think of something new, identify the old that it's related to, and you'll see one or more of those 5 NewView Options in play (excepting merely "recent," of course, which is only an addition in time). Now, in every published short story, you'll see that at the end there's a NewView Reversal of the OldView strong value statement given at the beginning of the story. Surprised? So was I when I first realized that universal truth. In fact, I had to look for and locate that NewView Reversal in many stories before I could finally accept it as always true. To stick with the two example short stories I mentioned above: The NewView Reverse at the very end of "A Rose for Emily" is that the townspeople experience a revulsion for Emily after discovering that she killed her Yankee boyfriend Homer decades ago and has been sleeping with his rotting body ever since. The NewView Reverse in "The Most Dangerous Game" is that Rainsford is forced to choose to be a huntee, the opposite or reverse of the hunter he thought of himself as being. And all this discussion about NewView Reverses in short stories provides the third step: STEP #3. Find the NewView Reverse at the end You're probably thinking, "What happened to the middle of a short story? That's where step #2 comes in, doesn't it?" Hey! I knew you'd beat me to it! The middle of a short story builds on the OldView strong value statement at the beginning and sets up the contrasting NewView at the end, which provides the second step: STEP #2. Identify the OldView supports/undercuts in the middle The bulk of any short story is spent in the story's middle, which supports or takes away from the OldView strong value statement at the beginning, as well as setting up the necessary contrast for the NewView Reversal at the end. And short stories also use descriptions and resolutions to conflicts to set up the final NewView Reverse. In "Emily," the key description is that of Miss Emily herself, in the first section, and in all conflicts between her and the townspeople their respect for her always wins out. In "Dangerous Game," the most important description is the fear sailors have of the island and the resolution is Rainsford winning the 'sporting game' of being the huntee at the end. In order, then, here are all three steps of the NewView Analysis of Short Stories: STEP #1: Spot the OldView strong value statement early on STEP #2. Note the OldView supports/undercuts in the middle STEP #3. Find the NewView Reverse at the end Using these three steps, you'll be able to relate each literary device supports the OldView - NewView relationship in the story. And you'll understand each story in its own OldView - NewView terms, without having to refer to some outside source or 'expert.' Wow! Just think of THAT! Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Learn more with Bill Drew's popular e-book, The Secret DNA of Analyzing Short Stories. Check out his other books on writing at his website. Bill has taught writing at a university and at junior colleges, and he has been a technical writer, an editor, a technical support director, and a freelance programmer. Bill's NewView methods are being taught in schools and are endorsed and used |
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