Show Popularity y Of Short Stories Is Product Of Age Robert Fitzgerald English In- In Explains Existence of Large Numbers of Short Stories The modern short story was the subject of a talk given by Robert B. B Fitzgerald instructor in the de department department department de- de of English before the members members members mem mem- bers of the English club at their meeting last Wednesday afternoon at o'clock in L L. L 32 He gave cave Jve the I I essentials of a good short st story ry and explained why it is that there are areso areso areso so many mediocre short stories and so few really fine ones produced to to- day Fitzgerald pointed out that the short story is the natural development development development develop develop- ment of the times in which we are living People try to do so much in one day that they must devote less time to each cach separate phase o otheir of their activities in order to get them all in For this reason the popular popular popular lar type of literature today is the short story that can be read in a afew afew afew few minutes instead of the two anc and three volume novels that were so popular a century ago Fitzgerald also called attention to the important part that the element elemen of conflict plays in the successful short story It is here that the eternal triangle enters in and two forces are found in conflict for a common goal That goal may b ba be bea a girl a man a high position an I ideal or what not but at any rate rat it i is the crucial events in this conflict conflict conflict con con- that makes the best material materia for the short story According to Fitgerald creative genius is necessary to all good art and it is creative genius that the real artist differs differ from others The genius reacts to life more strongly than the rest o ous of ofus ofus us commonly do and it is for this thi reason that teat his art excels It was Fitzgeralds Fitzgerald's opinion that tha the scarcity good short stories today today today to to- day is largely due to the fact th the modern modes of living and moc modern modern mod mod- ern educational methods by which every everyone one is forced through the same sam routine tend to stifle creative gen gen- ius Lack of time in hurried everyday everyday every every- day life and the tendency to conform conform conform con con- form to convention and routine kills kill what creative genius individuals possess possess possess pos pos- sess or hinders its natural sion |