Just as important as the various elements that make up a short story is the language the author uses to construct those elements. When we discuss the style of a story, we refer to the characteristics of the prose itself. When analyzing the style of a story, you should consider literary concerns such as the use of symbolism but also more basic elements of the prose such as syntax (sentence structure) and diction (word choice). Style is created both by the level of the diction used, such as if the story is written entirely in everyday words or if it uses a lot of words you might find on the SAT, and by the ways those words are put together into syntax. A story written in terse, reserved prose, composed of short sentences with no extra detail, will read much differently than a story written in long, winding sentences full of purple prose, or prose with a lot of ornate description. For example, in the first sentence of “Miss Brill,” in describing the weather, the narrator details “the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques.” The story would have a much different feel if Mansfield had merely written, “It was a nice day.”
Of course, noting the style of a work only matters insofar as we can use that observation to say something about the effect it creates for the story. In the example above, the purple prose in the description of the day reflects back on Miss Brill’s character. Much like the prose, Miss Brill is lavish, over-the-top, a bit pretentious, and has a flair for the dramatic, character traits that are immediately confirmed as she decides to wear her fur despite the pleasant weather.
There are also other, more obvious, ways writers can use style and diction to create certain effects in their work. For example, Zora Neale Hurston writes all of her characters’ dialogue in dialect, or writing meant to convey the way people sound when they speak. The use of dialect gives the reader a sense not just of the characters, but also of the place and culture to which they belong. While dialect has often been used in a derogatory fashion, implying that characters who speak in dialect are inferior to those who speak “proper” English, it can also function to validate the realistic sounds of speech and the value of human beings who speak in this way. An author’s intention in employing dialect makes all the difference in how we understand its purpose and whether it serves as a slur or as a way to demonstrate characters’ complexity. In the latter case, dialect works to undercut the assumption that all literary works must employ formal English. In this way the use of dialect can be an act of resistance, refusing a privileged and myopic view of what constitutes humanity.
Analyzing the style of a story can also be important for understanding the story’s tone, or the perception of the events that we think the writer wants us to have. For example, in “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor, our narrator, seems to brag about the actions he takes in the story, but this does not mean that Poe expects us to view the murder as an acceptable act. In fact, Montresor’s detailed recounting of the events and his seeming pride in their meticulous execution add to the horror of the story because they show us that he is not only a murderer but also remorseless. Taking another example that illustrates more clearly the relationship between tone and style, let’s consider Joyce’s “Araby.” Although the story is narrated in the first person by our protagonist, a young boy, the quality of the prose and the level of the diction do not reflect the consciousness of the child. For example, at the end of the story, when the narrator states, “I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity,” it is difficult to imagine a child having these thoughts. This may lead us to assume that the narrator is the adult version of this boy, looking back on events from his childhood with a mature understanding of their significance. This assumption changes the way we think about the overall tone of the story.
"Key Components of Short Stories" by Travis Rozier and Margaret Sullivan from Beyond the Pages: An Introduction to Literature Copyright © 2024 by Claire Carly-Miles, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Christie Anders, Nicole Hagstrom-Schmidt, R. Paul Cooper, and Matt McKinney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
"What is Diction in Literature": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers. Authored by: OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGZZHyIHxOM. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
"What is Tone in Literature?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers. Authored by: OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoBekTbDKRQ. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License