Let The Story Report: What is a story?

A story is a type of narrative, generally brief, based on real or fictional events, in which a group of
characters develop a relatively simple plot. In the literary field, it is one of the subgenres of narrative,
widely cultivated by writers of very different traditions. There are also popular tales, transmitted orally
or belonging to the heritage of informal culture.

Although human beings have been fond of telling stories since their origins, they have not always done
so under the paradigms of the story. In ancient times, legends and oral stories were told for some
educational purpose, which made them close to fables.

In other cases, mythological stories were told that explained the origin of the world or some episode
involving a specific deity or hero. Nowadays, however, they are cultivated as an art form in their own
right.

The short story is a modern genre. Its name comes from the Latin computus, "calculation", since it is, in
essence, about enumerating the events that make up the plot.

On the other hand, their plots often contrast with those of novels due to their length, since the latter
tend to be more voluminous. However, this criterion is debatable, since the border between a long story
and a short novel can be very narrow.

Throughout history, many authors have made the short story their favorite genre, and have cultivated it,
thus obtaining true works of art. Among them are: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), Guy de Maupassant
(1850-1893), Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986), Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) and Ryonosuke Akutagawa
(1892-1927) and many others.

See also: Literature

Characteristics of the story

Broadly speaking, a story is characterized by the following:

It has a single plot line, in which one or more characters converge, through a variable set of actions or
twists. The number of characters in a story is variable.

It has a unity of effect, a trait it shares with poetry. This means that through reading, the aim is to
generate an aesthetic, reflective or emotional effect, for which the story has all the necessary tools.

It is written in prose, and always has a narrator (or sometimes more than one) through whose voice the
events of the plot are narrated. The narrator may or may not be part of the characters in the story, and
may speak in the first (I) or third (he/she/they) person.

Types of stories

There are many ways to classify the story, depending on different criteria. For example, if we take into
account their length, we can differentiate between a short story (10 pages or less) and a long story
(more than 10 pages), although these lengths are, in the end, subjective. There is also the micro story or
mini-story, which is usually no longer than a page, sometimes not even a paragraph.

Another way of classifying stories is based on their content and the “theme” that surrounds the plot.
Thus, we can talk about:

Fairy tales. Generally aimed at a children's audience, they take place in a fantastic world that is easily
distinguishable between good and evil, and usually contain some kind of moral or final effect, which
brings them closer to a fable.

Fantastic tales. In which a fictional world is represented that is very far from the real world, with its own
laws that allow the existence of magical creatures, supernatural powers, etc.

Realistic stories. They take place in a world similar to the real one, following the same rules of
verisimilitude or credibility.

Horror stories. Whose plots revolve around the supernatural or situations designed to awaken fear or
anguish in the reader.

Science fiction stories. They are set in near or distant futures, utopian or dystopian, or in parallel worlds,
in which science and technology are different from the real ones and allow the exploration of new
situations.

Detective stories. Also called detective stories, they usually have as their narrative axis a crime
committed (generally a murder) and a detective or investigator in charge of solving it.

Satirical or comical stories. Those designed to make their readers laugh through crazy, funny or
ridiculous situations.

Erotic stories. Finally, those that address romantic or intimate themes, especially linked to sexuality.

Parts of the story

A story has, based on Aristotelian logic, three distinguishable parts, which are:

Start. In which the fictional world unfolds and the characters are introduced, already immersed in the
narrative plot. Ideally, this is the stage where we should know what the main characters want.

Complication. Intermediate stage in which the plot becomes denser, more complex or intricate. This is
where elements that make it impossible for characters to satisfy their desires usually arise.

Outcome. The closing of the story, in which the anecdote comes to an end. Here we usually find out
whether or not the characters got what they wanted, and why.

Elements of the story

In most stories we will find the following elements:

A narrator. The person who tells the story, whether or not he is part of it, and who relates the facts from
an objective or subjective position, depending on whether he is a witness narrator, a protagonist
narrator or an omniscient narrator (who sees everything and knows everything).

Some characters. Which are the fictional entities to which the plot occurs. There may be many and very
different types, but there is always one that is central to the story (protagonist) who may even be the
one who tells it (narrator-protagonist). There may also be characters who oppose the protagonist and try
to prevent him from doing what he wants (antagonists) or simply accompany him on his journey
(secondary characters).

A while. There are actually two: the real time it takes to read the story and the fictional time, which is
the time that passes within the story and can span minutes, months, years or centuries.

Some places. These are nothing more than the locations or locales where the narrated events take place,
and which may be more or less described in the story.

A plot. Which is the sum of the twists and turns and events that happen to the characters, organized in
such a way that they occur logically in time, whether in a linear way or not.

Difference between story and legend

A tale is generally distinguished from a legend by its origin: tales are artistic pieces that have a specific
author, while legends come from folklore or popular tradition and, therefore, do not have a single
author, but are the property of an entire people or nation. Thus, we often talk about Latin American,
German or Chinese legends, but also about the stories of Cortázar, Borges or Kafka.

Furthermore, the stories have an aesthetic aspiration, that is, they belong to literature and as such are
artistic pieces. Legends, on the other hand, reflect the feelings and culture of a locality.

On the other hand, legends do not have a unique way of being narrated, that is, a definitive text, as is
the case with stories (that is why we can buy Borges' stories in different editions and they will always be
the same). The same legend can be told in different ways, depending on who tells it.