Short Stories Types of Fiction English 521 Magic

Short Stories: Types of Fiction English 521

Magic Realism • a kind of modern fiction in which “magical” and fantastical events are included in a narrative that otherwise maintains the “reliable” tone of an objective realistic report.

Isabel Allende • Born in Peru, 1942 • The daughter of a Chilean diplomat; she left Chile to live in Bolivia, the Middle East, and Europe. • Began her career by working as a journalist, and eventually created her own television program. • Author of internationally acclaimed novel, The House of Spirits.

“Whodunnit” (Who done it? ) fiction: • A complex, plot-driven sub-genre of crime fiction in which the “puzzle” is the main feature of interest. • The reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the ending of the story.

Eric Wright • Immigrated to Toronto, Canada from London at the age of 21. He is famed for his crime and mystery novels featuring the fictional character Charlie Salter, a Toronto Police inspector. • His short story “Twins” was written in 1990 and is an example of “whodunnit” crime fiction. (Pg 213 Echoes 11)

Louise Erdrich (“The Leap”) • Best known for her fiction and poetry, which often draw on her Chippewa heritage. • “The Leap” first appeared in Harper’s Magazine in 1990. • She won the Academy of American Poets Prize in 1975 and the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 1983.

Alistair Mac. Leod “The Boat” • Mac. Leod is a noted Canadian author and retired professor of Creative Writing at the University of Windsor (ON). • Born in Saskatchewan, 1936 • His family moved to his (Scottish) ancestor’s farm in Cape Breton Island, NS, when he was ten years old

Alistair Mac. Leod • Almost all of his short story settings are based on Maritime surroundings and culture of the early 20 th century. • Mac. Leod's short stories are predominantly somber in that they depict a culture that is at a gradual loss or erosion of value. “The power of the past over the present” is also a common theme in his fiction.

“The Boat” pg 261 Echoes 11 • “The Boat” received international acclaim in 1969 when it was selected as one of the Best American Short Stories of all time. • Since then, it has remained an alltime Canadian favorite, and a “mustread” for all Atlantic Canadians.