Throughout the course, sudents will:

CG1. Be equipped to critically engage with a range of representative short fiction in the English language, drawn from diverse cultural and historical contexts.
CG2. Enhance their ability to conduct rigorous literary and cultural analysis, fostering deeper engagement with both primary texts and theoretical frameworks.
CG3. Demonstrate the capacity to synthesise theoretical debates with close textual analysis, applying abstract concepts to specific narrative forms.
CG4. Develop proficiency in identifying and analysing key literary elements, including figurative language, symbolism, and narrative structures within the short story.
CG5. Construct and defend coherent, well-supported intellectual arguments, informed by both theoretical perspectives and textual evidence.
CG6. Appreciate and articulate the short story’s significance as both a literary form and a reflection of societal values, cultural movements, and individual identities.
CG7. Gain exposure to a wide variety of short stories, thereby enriching their understanding of the genre’s adaptability, scope, and artistic potential.

By the end of the semester, students will have:

CE1. Acquired proficiency in applying key literary theories—such as feminist theory, queer theory, and intersectionality—to the analysis of short stories. They will demonstrate how these frameworks uncover deeper layers of meaning, enabling a nuanced understanding of narrative form, structure, and thematic resonance.

CE2. Developed the ability to critically assess how gender, identity, and social constructs are portrayed in short stories, using an intersectional approach that examines the interplay of race, class, sexuality, and gender. This skill allows students to identify how multiple facets of identity are represented and contested across diverse literary contexts.

CE3. Enhanced close reading skills, enabling the detection and interpretation of significant patterns, symbols, and figurative language within short stories. Students will articulate how these elements contribute to overarching narrative and thematic developments, linking textual details to broader conceptual discussions.

CE4. Achieved a comprehensive understanding of core narratology principles and a critical appreciation of how narrative theory intersects with socio-cultural and historical frameworks. This includes recognising how narrative structures reflect, question, or reinforce dominant ideologies.

CE5. Gained insight into recurring themes such as societal norms, autonomy, and identity negotiation across different authors and historical periods. Students will synthesise these themes, identifying how they evolve and adapt within varying social and cultural settings and how they shape the experiences of marginalised voices.

CE6. Developed the capacity to deconstruct and analyse the narrative architecture of short stories, focusing on techniques such as framing, pacing, point of view, and temporal manipulation. Students will explain how these strategies shape reader engagement and contribute to thematic depth.

CE7. Cultivated the ability to compare and contrast short stories from a range of authors and stylistic traditions, discerning both common and divergent approaches to narrative techniques, thematic concerns, and characterisation. This comparative analysis deepens understanding of the genre’s versatility.

Additionally, by the end of the course, students will have developed the following transversal skills:

CT1. Strengthened the ability to critically assess complex problems, think independently, and devise well-reasoned solutions—skills applicable to a broad range of contexts requiring analysis and decision-making.
CT2. Enhanced research skills, including the ability to locate, evaluate, and synthesise relevant academic information—essential for managing information effectively in both academic and professional environments.
CT3. Improved ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively in writing, constructing well-structured arguments in essays and papers—a crucial skill in academic and professional contexts.
CT4. Refined ability to articulate ideas confidently and persuasively through class discussions, debates, and presentations—key competencies for collaboration and leadership in professional settings.
CT5. Gained cultural awareness and sensitivity by engaging with diverse perspectives on gender, race, and identity—vital for interaction in multicultural contexts and addressing global challenges.
CT6. Developed collaboration skills through group activities and discussions, learning to provide and receive constructive feedback—a crucial ability for effective teamwork in academic and workplace environments.
CT7. Fostered adaptability and openness to new ideas through engagement with varied literary perspectives, themes, and cultural debates, enabling students to navigate dynamic environments and embrace diverse viewpoints.

The short story has long served as a vital literary form through which writers capture moments of transformation, tension, and revelation. Its brevity allows for a concentrated exploration of human experience, making it especially suited to addressing issues of identity, belonging, and social change. In recent decades, the short story has become a key site for interrogating the dynamics of gender, power, and representation, offering a space where marginalised voices and alternative perspectives can emerge with clarity and force.

This course situates the study of the short story within a broader critical conversation about gender and cultural identity. By reading across diverse authors, traditions, and historical moments, students will gain insight into how writers use the form to question normative ideas of femininity and masculinity, while also engaging with intersecting dimensions of race, class, sexuality, and cultural heritage. In doing so, the course aims to equip students with both the theoretical and interpretative skills necessary to engage with contemporary debates in literary and cultural studies, and to appreciate the enduring relevance of the short story as a vehicle for social and artistic inquiry.

In the first half of the course, we will study works by prominent women writers who use the short story form to interrogate themes of gender, identity, and the complex roles women occupy within familial, cultural, and social frameworks. Close textual analysis will allow students to assess how these narratives contest or reinforce dominant historical and cultural representations of women, while offering incisive critiques of gender norms and social expectations.

The second half of the course shifts focus to male-authored and male-centred short stories. Here, we will explore how male writers engage with questions of masculinity, vulnerability, and identity, examining how their narratives are shaped by—and respond to—societal pressures and cultural constructions of manhood. Particular attention will be given to intersections between masculinity and other identity categories such as race, class, sexuality, and age. Students will consider how male authors employ the short story form to articulate tensions between power and fragility, conformity and individuality, repression and expression.

Areas of Focus

1. The Short Story as a Reflection of Social and Cultural Movements
2. The Short Story as a Vehicle for Personal Expression and Identity
3. Voice and Agency in Women’s Writing
4. Female Subjectivity and the Subaltern Experience
5. Masculinity as a Constructed Gender Identity
6. The Vulnerability of Masculinity: Exploring how male authors portray the fragility and complexity of masculine identity shaped by emotional restraint, social expectation, and the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles

Core Materials:

Copies of the class syllabus, handouts, and additional readings will be provided in PDF format via the course website (Studium).

The primary anthology for the course is:

Charters, Ann. The Short Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction, 9th edition (2015). The 10th edition (2019) is also acceptable.

Supplementary stories and scholarly articles will be available on the course site as PDFs.

Multimedia resources: Where appropriate, video presentations or adaptations of selected short stories may be used to enhance understanding.

Library and Online Resources:

A collection of short fiction criticism and anthologies will be placed on reserve at the English Department Library for consultation and extended research.

Students are encouraged to explore online resources for contemporary scholarship and additional readings.

Recommended Reading:

March-Russell, Paul. The Short Story: An Introduction. Edinburgh University Press, 2009.

Indicative Secondary Reading

Baldwin, Dean R. Art and Commerce in the British Short Story, 1880-1950. Routledge, 2014.

Bendixen, Alfred, and James Nagel, editors. A Companion to the American Short Story. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Boddy, Kasia. The American Short Story since 1950. Edinburgh University Press, 2010.

Cox, Ailsa. Writing Short Stories. Routledge, 2005

Head, Dominic. The Cambridge History of the English Short Story. Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Hunter, Adrian. The Cambridge Introduction to the Short Story in English. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Lohafer, Susan. Reading for Storyness: Preclosure Theory, Empirical Poetics, and Culture in the Short Story. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Malcolm, Cheryl Alexander, and David Malcolm, editors. A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story. Blackwell, 2008.

May, Charles. The Short Story: The Reality of Artifice. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2002.

Nagel, James. The American Short Story Handbook. Wiley Blackwell, 2015.

Redling, Erik, and Oliver Scheiding, editors. Handbook of the American Short Story. De Gruyter, 2022.

Scofield, Martin. The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story. Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Winther, Per, et al., editors. The Art of Brevity: Excursions in Short Fiction Theory and Analysis. University of South Carolina Press, 2004.

Online Resources

• The Voice of the Shuttle (http://vos.ucsb.edu/) – This site, hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a long-standing academic resource offering links to scholarly materials in the humanities.
• The Online Books Page (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/) – The site, run by the University of Pennsylvania, offers an extensive catalog of freely accessible digital books.
• The Short Story Project (https://www.shortstoryproject.com/) – This platform offers a curated collection of short stories from around the world, translated into multiple languages.
• The Short Story Guide (https://www.shortstoryguide.com/feminist-short-stories/ and https://www.shortstoryguide.com/short-stories-about-women/) – This site is dedicated to categorizing short stories by theme, genre, and subject, offering easy access to feminist short stories and stories focusing on women.
• Literary Hub (LitHub) (https://lithub.com/) – A comprehensive site featuring articles on contemporary literature, author interviews, and essays on various literary forms, including the short story.

Assessment Instruments

• Rubrics will be provided for presentations, written essays, and seminar contributions. Criteria include clarity of argument, depth of analysis, engagement with texts, and effective use of theory.
• Grades reflect the cumulative score across all assessment components.
• Active participation, consistent engagement with readings, and independent research are critical for success.

Formative Tasks (Non-assessed)

• Students are encouraged to engage in independent reading, short in-class exercises, and thematic workshops.
• These activities support learning, improve analytical skills, and prepare students for online assignments, but they do not contribute directly to the final grade.