The novel versus the short story or Why would one bother to read short fiction in the first place?

This entry will examine an idea that I have encountered while following other writers and readers of fiction. The idea that short fiction is not as worthy of a reader's time than other literary forms like the novel, typically pointed to as the most respectable of literary pursuits There are so many great novels written throughout history making this a fairly strong argument.

The best option for a reader is to focus exclusively on novels. When one thinks of the greatest works of literature, the list typically includes only novels, so it follows that the novel form is the best in literature. Frankly, I don't see much value in this argument. After all variety is the spice of life and we should read as many different things as possible to have a greater appreciation for the different forms that literature can take.

So what is a short story? What is a novel? Why should I care?

In terms of definition, a short story is typically any piece of literature with a word count of 1,000 to 4,000 words. However a piece of writing can have a word count up to 20,000 words and still be considered a short story. Due to its shorter word count, short stories generally are less elaborate than novels and take less time to read, but does that mean that we should stay away from short stories and focus entirely on novels?

Ultimately the answer to this is up to you. Read what you want when you want.  If you get satisfaction from reading Gravity's Rainbow or Infinite Jest and then telling your friends about it, then go ahead. I'm not going to stop you. I'm guilty of the same exact thing.

Yet as a reader of many short stories, here is something I would like for you to consider. A short story is basically a more concentrated version of the novel. When someone who reads novels says that short stories are worthless, that person has unknowingly attacked their own literary form of choice. To anyone who says that reading novels is better than reading short stories, I would say variety is the spice of life. Perhaps consider putting down your Thomas Pynchon novel and trying some Flannery O'Connor, perhaps starting with 'The  Barber'

I have read both novels and short stories. I started with novels early in my life and didn't encounter short stories until high school English classes. It was here that I first read the stories of Hemingway, Hawthorne and Poe. These stories showed me the power of the form to create a more condensed and powerful reading experience. It never occurred to me that this shorter form was any less worthy or meaningful. In fact I believe the opposite is true. In a world where attention spans are becoming shorter all the time, I would argue that the short story is the form best suited to meet our literary needs in the 21st century.

I hope that this was informative. Please remember, don't let anyone tell you that short stories are "less than" or "more than" another literary form. All writing is words on a page and we should ultimately read what we want. To me that is the beauty of literature.

/rant