English 90R
Instructor:
Ms. E. Pumpelly
Short stories assignment
Purpose:
To
introduce students to American and English short story writers. To
increase student understanding of the elements of a short story
such as plot, theme, characters and setting.
view your
short story assignment
A short story is a work of fiction that is shorter than a novel.
The action is compact and every single event is critical to the
development of the plot. The time span could vary from a day
to years.
Read more
short story elements
and use the student activity
worksheet
to document your information.
Directions:
Choose a short story from the Cuyamaca Library collection
FIRST METHOD: BROWSE SHELVES:
The 1st way is to browse the call number sections of the
Cuyamaca collection. You may browse the call number sections
listed below:
-
PN
6120.2 – English Fiction (books can be either a novel or a
collection of short stories)
-
PS 648
S5 – American Short Stories Collections
-
PZ 1 –
Collections of novels, short stories or other fiction
- Great American Short
Stories: The O. Henry Awards (PZ 1 +)
William S. Porter, who wrote under the pen name O. Henry, was
born in 1862. He started writing stories while in prison
for embezzlement. His writing career was short but he is
the most widely read American short story writer. His best known
story is "The Gift of the Magi" (1905) and the "Last Leaf". After
his death, DoubleDay publishers established the O. Henry Awards
in his honor.
- Short Stories of De Maupassant
(PQ 2349 A4 E5)
There is a wonderful story called the "Necklace" on page 27.
THIRD METHOD: WEBSITES
Comprehensive websites:
El
Cajon, California 92019 
