Definition of the short story. Example: Ernest Hemingway - The Killers

1. ‘Longed for him. Got
him. Shit.’

Margaret Atwood

2. ‘Longed for him. Got him. Shit.’

 In what context would this utterance be made or written?
 What do you think happened to this person?
 Write three more sentences after every full stop to add
information to the story.
 Find a title for your story.
[10 minutes]
 How would you describe this story?

3. „There is a distinct limit to all works of literary art
– the limit of a single sitting.‟ Edgar Allan Poe

4. Defining the short story

 Origins: the oral tradition
 Main features
• Brevity
• Excitement
• Suspense
• Focus on a single incident
• Immediate action
• Epiphany (moment of illumination in which
something hidden becomes clear)

5. ‘All good books have one thing in common - they
are truer than if they had really happened.’

6. Biography

 Born on 21st July 1898 in Oak Park, Illinois.
 Began his writing career as a reporter for the Kansas Ciry Star.
 In World War I he worked as a volunteer ambulance driver, before
he was severely wounded.
 In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
 In the summer of 1961 he commited suicide.
 Publications:
• A Farewell to Arms
• The Sun Also Rises
• For Whom The Bell Tolls
• The Old Man and the Sea
• „Hills Like White Elephants‟
• „The Killers‟

7. ‘The Killers’

 Write down three questions about the title.
 Make three predictions about the story.
[5 minutes]

8. ‘Talk to me bright boy. What do you think is
going to happen?’

 In groups of 5 finish the
story:
- What‟s going to happen
next? (Description)
- What are the characters
going to say? (Dialogues)
 Assign each person a role
and act out your scene in
front of the class.
[Preparation: 15 minutes]
[Scene length: 2 minutes per group]

9. HOMEWORK

 Watch Goodfellas, The Godfather, Casino, Pulp Fiction,
Reservoir Dogs (etc…) trailers to get into the mood of
the story.

10. Today’s lesson

 Role play
 Narrative
 Symbols & Images

11. Narrative

 Who tells the story?
- “I‟m going back to the kitchen with the nigger and bright
boy,” he said. “Go on back to the kitchen, nigger. You go with
him, bright boy.” The little man walked after Nick and Sam,
the cook, back in to the kitchen. The door shut after them. -
 How might a different point of view change the
story?

12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the third
person objective point of view?

advantages disadvantages

13. Symbols and Images

 What do these symbols and images suggest?

14. Symbols and Images

 In literature a symbol or an image can be:
 a person
 an object
 a place
 an event in the story
 with a more complex and deeper meaning.
When do these simple things become symbols in a story?
 Repetition
 Detailed description
 Location
 …

15. Bert & Ernie
The Muppet Show
Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci
Goodfellas