There is a quieter, more succinct wing of literature that thrives on pithy conciseness: the short story. The authors of this art form have perfected the concept of this type of storytelling by distilling exciting human experiences into a compact form that is easy to digest and just as engaging for the busy reader. Here are 25 of the greatest short stories of all time, each with its own approach to brevity.
What Is A Short Story?
Compared to a novel or novella, a short story is a smaller body of work with a more limited scope and less developed characters. However, don’t let its brevity fool you. A short story’s goal is to uncover a single incidence or series of linked incidents, aiming to evoke a single effect or mood from the reader. It’s a concentrated dose of emotions, a snapshot of life that can leave a lasting impact.
The concept of a short story allows for a concise, structured plot that is laser-focused on a small cast of characters and, usually, a single setting. With short stories, every word is carefully chosen to deliver a punch, sometimes in as little as several hundred words. The upper limit for a short story is sometimes likened to that of a novella, but a single short story rarely attains this much length, yet it can still leave a lasting impression.
