Islamic University-Gaza
Faculty of Arts
English Department
Sep. 2041
Short Story
ENGL 2347
Dr. Sami Breem
Description of module and its aims:
This module aims to give students a general background about the development of the
English Short story. Its objectives are to sensitize students to different kinds of
analysis that are needed to explain the complex functioning of language and to
develop the students’ interpretative skills. Emphasis throughout will be on critical
thinking and analytical writing. The approach also constitutes the study of the short
story through an integration of language and literature. The major issues are
introduced and explored in the different topics which make up the course.
Topics to be covered:
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Why study of literature? Language model, culture model, personal growth
model.
definitions- why study literature, short story, historical background, short story
first appearance, text and context).
character
events/action/plot
theme
narrative structure
narrator/point of view
setting
deixis
symbolism
intertextuality
speech and thought presentation
The Language of the text (e.g. pronouns, definite and indifinite articles, the
title, deixis, cohesion, figures of speech).
Figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, irony….etc.)
Writing about literature (paragraphs an essays on different narrative features)
Learning Outcomes:
After completing this course students will have:
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competency in oral communication skills through discussions and presentations.
Identify and apply techniques of literary analysis and criticism.
understanding the conventions, technical features, historical and cultural contexts
of the English short story.
reading and analytical competence through interpretation and analysis of a range
of short stories.
competency in writing about literature/short story and repeated practice of the
writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing through written
assignments: paragraphs, essays, analysis sheets and creative writing (a short
story).
Consider culture, author bibliographic, and historic context of each story.
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Demonstrate how fiction enhances personal awareness and creativity.
Texts of Short Stories from :
 The Star
 Strange Animal
 The Story of an Hour
 A Rose for Emily
 The Use of Force
 Verbal Transcription-6 a.m.
 The Man with the Scar
 Sodier’s Home
 At the Barber’s
 Araby
 The Bird
 Boons of Life
 The CAlif Omar
 Achild’s dream of a Star
 The Dead Wife
 A Fable
 Faith and Half Faith and no Faith at all
 A Fruitless Assignmet
 The Gift of the Magi
Alasdair Gray
Alexander McCall Smith
Kate Chopin
William Faulkner
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
W. Somerset Maughm
Ernest Hemingway
Anton Chekhov
James Joyce
Leo Tolstoy
Mark Twain
Allan Ramsay
Charles Dickens
Andrew Lang
Mark Twain
R. L. Stevenson
Ambrose Bierce
O. Henry
References:
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Handout (theory+ short story texts)
Collie, J. and Slater, S. (1993) Short Stories for Creative Language
Classrooms, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Abrams, M., H. (1993) A Glossary of Literary Terms, New York: Harcourt
Brace College Publishers.
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Short, M. (1996) Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose, Harlow:
Longman.
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Allen, G. (2000) Intertextyality, London: Routledge.
 Coles, R. (2004) Teaching Stories, New York: modern Library.
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Kay, J. and Gelshenen, R. (2011) Discovering Fiction, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
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Milne, I. R. and Sisler, T. (ed.) (2005) Short Stories for Students, New York:
Thomson Gale
Assessment:
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final Exam (50%)
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mid-term (20%)
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class participation, written assignments (10%)
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analysis sheets (5%)
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pp presentations. (5%)
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creative writing (up to 1000 words short story) (5%)
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Attendence (5%)
!Best Wishes!