Look back in wonder : how the endings of short stories can be their most powerful and effective distinguishing features

Hurley, UK

Abstract

Drawing on her experiences as a writer and teacher of short fiction, the author offers an interrogation of the defining qualities of short stories, with a particular focus on how the ending of a narrative can be one of the most useful ways of teasing out generic differences between short fic-tion and other prose forms. A survey of critical and writerly opinion leads into a practical demon-stration of how endings work, with detailed reference to James Joyce’s Dubliners. The essay concludes by suggesting ways in which Dubliners prefigures the composite novels and story cy-cles that are prominent features of contemporary practice.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Nov 18, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: Short Fiction in Theory and Practice
• Print ISSN: 2043-0701
• Publisher: Intellect
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 25-35
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/fict.1.1.25_1
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/fict.1.1.25_1