19th and 20th Century Short Stories

OLLI presents: Instructor: Bob Lipman, retired literature and poetry instructor. Eight key elements common to the structure of so many short stories will form the basis of our class discussions. These elements include setting, characterization, plot, conflict, climax, resolution, point of view, and theme. Each story allows us as readers a fascinating insight into the psychological makeup of the protagonists. The short stories to be read are wonderful. They include Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill, O. Henry’s The Last Leaf and Witches’ Loaves, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl, and D. H. Lawrence’s The Rocking-Horse Winner. Stories will often be supplemented with videos that recreate the plots very closely as well as narrative poems that are the creations of the instructor.