Edgar Allan Poe and the appearance of the short-story as a genre of fiction

Abstract

This paper aims to describe, discuss and analyze the appearance of the short story as a genre of fiction, using Edgar Allan Poe’s Review of Twice-Told Tales as a starting point for this reflection. In these critical papers, Poe analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories, proposing the theory of the unity of effect, as well as the thesis that short narratives could be the appropriate vehicle for expressing the highest talents of an artist. The North-American literary context from the beginning of the 19^th century will also be analyzed, as it was the period in which Poe produced his works and in which the short story has consolidated itself as a genre of fiction. In this sense, some theoretical aspects regarding short narratives will be explored, in order to problematize some ideas aroused by Poe’s theory. Finally, some of Poe’s influences on literary criticism will be considered, as authors such as Mário de Andrade, Machado de Assis and Julio Cortázar seek to reelaborate and propose new discussions about Poe’s notions about the short story.