Transformations of the Short Story: From Roots to Modernity

Ms. Souad Al-Mashat Al-Sayegh

This study examines the short story as one of the most prominent literary genres that emerged to keep pace with social and cultural transformations, capturing human concerns in a condensed and focused manner. The study aims to clarify the concept of the short story, trace its origins and evolution over time in both Arabic and Western literature, analyze its artistic and narrative characteristics, and distinguish it from other narrative genres such as the novel and the tale. Employing a descriptive-analytical and historical-literary approach, the study explores the factors shaping its development. It concludes that the short story is not merely a brief literary form or a tool for entertainment, but an autonomous literary genre with rich semantic depth that reflects human thought across eras.

Short Story - Transformations - Origins - Modernity - Narrative