WORLD SHORT STORY: THE CREATIVE QUARTET (Pages 124-135) by Dr. M. V. Ramana Moorthy in THE ENGLISH INDIA / ISSN: 2321-1172 (Online); 2347-2634 (Print)

The history of the world short story spreads over 200 years and has a much better organized structure and continuum than any other genre. This article attempts to present the broad outline and the major shifts that have influenced the growth of the genre vis-à-vis the other sister genres like the novel and the novella. The specific contributions of four major short story writers Turgenev, Maupassant, Chekov and R. K. Narayan are discussed in detail in tracing the timeline that holds the genre together in a cross-cultural and Inter-continental scenario. In conclusion, the new trends and future line of development are suggested.he history of the world short story spreads over 200 years and has a much better organized structure and continuum than any other genre. This article attempts to present the broad outline and the major shifts that have influenced the growth of the genre vis-à-vis the other sister genres like the novel and the novella. The specific contributions of four major short story writers Turgenev, Maupassant, Chekov and R. K. Narayan are discussed in detail in tracing the timeline that holds the genre together in a cross-cultural and Inter-continental scenario. In conclusion, the new trends and future line of development are suggested.Keywords: Novella shifts timeline cross-cultural denouement pace milieu