Dabour Hub EGEgyptian Curriculum 2026/2027
First: the short story and how it differs from the novel

First: the short story and how it differs from the novel

Point 1 of 10 — Lesson 2: The Church Lit Up by Ibrahim Aslan and the Compression of the Short StoryQuestion bank: 0 questions (0 with pictures)

01First: the short story and how it differs from the novel

The concept

  • The novel is one artistic form of story in general, and the short story another artistic form marked by its shortness.
  • Its shortness is flexible: in reading time from a few minutes up to two hours, and in size from under a thousand words to about twelve thousand.
  • If it grows beyond that, up to thirty thousand words, it is counted as a short novel.
  • The decisive difference between the short story and the novel is the nature of the artistic build, not length alone.
  • The short story is not the condensation of a long tale; it is a work of art with a firm, tight structure.

Comparing the novel and the short story

Point of comparisonThe novelThe short story
Life presentedA whole life of one character, or the lives of severalOne situation or one concentrated moment
CharactersManyLimited
EventsNumerous and branchingFew
TimeStretches over yearsUsually short in range
PlacePlaces are manyLimited
LanguageExpansion, and comprehensive precise description to imitate realityThe utmost conciseness: every description is intended and every phrase carries a sense
DeletionSome scenes or dialogues can be cut without damageNo sentence can be cut without the build being affected
  • The American writer Edgar Allan Poe held that no sentence or word can be removed from a short story without its structure being affected — an overstatement, but one that does not negate the underlying principle.

The aim of the short story

  • Delivering a message to the receiver: an idea, a point, or a particular impression.
  • It does not present it as flat direct statement, but embodies it in a tale that imitates real life, so that the reader is drawn to follow it and to reflect on it.

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