A short story cycle (sometimes referred to as a story sequence or composite novel)[1] is a collection of short stories in which the narratives are specifically composed and arranged with the goal of creating an enhanced or different experience when reading the group as a whole as opposed to its individual parts.[2] Short story cycles are different from novels because the parts that would make up the chapters can all stand alone as short stories, each individually containing a beginning, middle and conclusion. When read as a group there is a tension created between the ideas of the individual stories, often showing changes that have occurred over time or highlighting the conflict between two opposing concepts or thoughts.[3] Because of this dynamic, the stories need to have an awareness of what the other stories accomplish; therefore, cycles are usually written with the express purpose of creating a cycle as opposed to being gathered and arranged later.[4]
- ^ Scholars are still debating the differences between these terms; see Nagel's introduction for an overview of the discussion.
- ^ Mann, Susan (1989). The Short Story Cycle. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 12. ISBN 0-313-25081-2.
- ^ Mann p.11
- ^ Lynch, Gerald (2001). The One and the Many: English-Canadian Short Story Cycles. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. xv. doi:10.3138/9781442681941. ISBN 0-8020-3511-6.