Micro-fiction & Elements of fiction

Micro-fiction & Elements of fiction



Micro-fiction, also called flash fiction, is an extremely short story that still maintains character and plot development.  Shortness ranges from 6 words, to 280 characters, to 100 or 1000 words.

Among the shortest stories in English literature, often attributed (erroneously) to Hemmingway, is,

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Another well known very, very short story in English literature is by E.M. Forster,

“The king died and then the queen died of grief.”
_________________________________________________

Task

Form small groups, ~4.  Assign a facilitator to lead your group through the discussion and a secretary to keep a log of your answers.  Review the short films and stories.  Respond to all questions.  Draw on a number of the short films or stories in your responses, use both short films and short-stories to answer the questions.  Post your work to the phpBB.
_________________________________________________

One minute short films

Trapped, link

Cheat, link

The Door, link

Script, link

Kick me, link

The Box, link

Turning Point, link

Alike, link

The Station, link
_________________________________________________

Micro-fiction short stories

Give It Up!
- Franz Kafka

It was very early in the morning, the streets clean and deserted, I was walking to the station. As I compared the tower clock with my watch I realized that it was already much later than I had thought, I had to hurry, the shock of this discovery made me unsure of the way, I did not yet know my way very well in this town; luckily, a policeman was nearby, I ran up to him and breathlessly asked him the way. He smiled and said: “From me you want to know the way?” “Yes,” I said, “since I cannot find it myself.” “Give it up! Give it up,” he said, and turned away with a sudden jerk, like people who want to be alone with their laughter.


The Mice
- Lydia Davis

Mice live in our walls but do not trouble our kitchen. We are pleased but cannot understand why they do not come into our kitchen where we have traps set, as they come into the kitchens of our neighbors. Although we are pleased, we are also upset, because the mice behave as though there were something wrong with our kitchen. What makes this even more puzzling is that our house is much less tidy than the houses of our neighbors. There is more food lying about in our kitchen, more crumbs on the counters and filthy scraps of onion kicked against the base of the cabinets. In fact, there is so much loose food in the kitchen I can only think the mice themselves are defeated by it. In a tidy kitchen, it is a challenge for them to find enough food night after night to survive until spring. They patiently hunt and nibble hour after hour until they are satisfied. In our kitchen, however, they are faced with something so out of proportion to their experience that they cannot deal with it. They might venture out a few steps, but soon the overwhelming sights and smells drive them back into their holes, uncomfortable and embarrassed at not being able to scavenge as they should.


The Light
- Don Tassone

He grew up in a cabin in the woods.  His mother died in childbirth.  His father raised him, an only child.  His father was stern.  They weren’t close.

In town, his father bought oil for their lamps, including one, on the front porch, which he burned all night, “in case anyone comes by.”  But no one ever did.

At 18, he left for the city.  Forty years later, he decided to go back for the first time.  It was dusk when he got there.  He had a hard time finding the old place, but then he saw the light.


The Triplets
- Fliss Zakaszewska

Separated at birth, their time was nigh. The eldest rose first and conquered the western continent. Secretly he searched for the next born. Boris should’ve been in Russia but instead he rose to power in a small, yet influential island near Europe.

The blond brothers with weird haircuts finally met - not identical, but you could see they were siblings.

Their plan for world domination was close, but they needed Vlad, the third one. Was that really him in Russia? “He’s so weedy, not like us,” they said. But DNA proved it; the triplets were ready to rule the world.


English 101
-Amy J. Kirkwood

Red pen buzzing through and over her dream-laced stories, always. Are you sure about the use of ‘extra-ordinary’, here? (sp) exclaimed, exceptional. Later, when analyzing literature: Were you really enthused by ‘The Great Gatsby’? Re-read the ending; the text is enigmatic and poignant, not simply enthusing. Please see me. By college, she has learned to keep the excitement in, to crush it down underneath her ribcage like a secret present wrapped in crinkling brown paper. Sometimes when she moves, she hears it crunch, then panic-swallows it back into her stomach. This is a generic argument, Holly. Your opinion is missing.

_________________________________________________

Literary analysis questions

Elements of fiction

1. Who/what are the characters in the work?  What motivates them?

2. What is the setting?  How does it contribute to the meaning of the work?

3. How does conflict manifest in the plot?

4. Describe the tone, mood, and atmosphere?

5. Who is the narrator?  What is the point of view?

6. What is the theme, moral, point or life lesson on the work?

Context

7. Who is the author/writer/director?

8. What is the genre?

9. What artistic, philosophical, ideological, or literary movement is this work a part of?

10. How did the time period in which the work was created affect how and why it was designed?

Culture

11. Are you an insider or an outsider to the culture in this work?

12. How does the work reflect a particular culture or cultural values?

Interpretation

13. What did the author want me to get out of this piece?

14. Do you understand that a work has a symbolic meaning as well as one that is literal?  What characters or objects are symbolic (stand for other things)? For example, a rose may stand for love, and a thorn may stand for a painful aspect of love.  What content - exact words, phrases, or passages - represents a symbolic expression?

Deconstruction

15. What is a possible second meaning of the work? (contra #6, #13, or #14)

Personal response

16.What do you feel about the work?  What do you think about it?