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In the 24 informative episodes of Great American Short Stories: A Guide for Writers and Readers, examine the ins and outs of this infinitely adaptable (and intrinsically American) literary form.

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Episodes

1. "Come In Here": How Stories Draw Us In

33m

Begin your exploration of American short stories with a look at one of the form's most important features: the opening sentence. Learn the four P's (people, place, perspective, and problem) and how they can help build a strong opening to a story. Then listen to multiple examples of first sentences and their various strengths and weaknesses.

2. Discovering the American Short Story

34m

What defines a short story? And what makes American short stories unique? Take a look at some features and definitions that help explain the form and its boundaries, while also learning how the form has changed over time. You'll also get a partial reading list that will allow you to explore some of the greatest authors of different styles and eras.

3. The Storytelling Instinct in America

32m

Storytelling can help us find meaning in chaos, foster empathy, and share lessons and values across generations. Look back into the past and see how oral and print cultures came in contact with each other in the Americas, creating a hybrid form of storytelling that continues into the present day.

4. Storytelling and American Mythos

31m

After the Revolutionary War, American authors sought to forge their own national literary traditions. Examine the emergence of the short story as a patently American genre, beginning with the "sketches" of writers like Washington Irving. Along the way, you will see how writers have shaped the American mythos: the stories that tell us who we are.

5. Sentimental Fiction and Social Reform

32m

Can stories change the way we look at the world? In the mid-19th century, many Americans believed you could use fiction to shape public opinion and morality. Look at the tradition of sentimental fiction and the writers that mastered the tools of emotion and empathy, focusing especially on the ways women contributed to the field.

6. The Rise of Realism in American Fiction

32m

Realism dominated American short fiction from the end of the Civil War until the outbreak of World War I. See how four decades of social upheaval and the rise of print journalism motivated the rise of the "boys' club" of realist writers, in opposition to the more feminine-influenced sentimental fiction of earlier decades.

7. American Modernists

33m

The rise of modernism in the early 20th century was a self-conscious reaction to realism. Reflecting the rapid changes of the time, modernist short stories have an intentionally fragmented, staged feeling that many writers felt made the work more "literary." Examine the work of modernist writers like William Faulkner, Gertrude Stein, and Jean Toomer.

8. Contemporary American Storytelling

32m

Ernest Hemingway remains the single most influential short story writer of the 20th century. Disillusioned by World War I and heavily influenced by the objectivity of journalism, Hemingway changed the American short story (and possibly the American identity). Consider how this one writer revolutionized short fiction and influenced countless other authors.

9. Setting or Donnée in American Short Fiction

32m

Shift from the history of American short fiction to the technical aspects of the form with a look at how writers build verisimilitude into their story worlds. Professor Cognard-Black guides you through several stories with different settings and shows how the writers convey time and place as well as mood, atmosphere, symbolism, and more.

10. The Use of Detail in American Short Fiction

34m

What is the difference between fact and truth, and why does this distinction matter in fiction? Discover how writers use certain details to inform readers about the inner life of the characters and look closely at why the facts in a short story are never random. Works by Toni Morrison, James Thurber, and Lee K. Abbott demonstrate different levels of detail.

Extended Details

SeriesGreat American Short Stories: A Guide for Writers and Readers

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Jennifer Cognard-BlackActor