Short Story Reading

Name: Short Story Reading
Rating: 4.5 (1 reviews)

Find Your Reading Passion!

Created byRonald Johnson Professional Tutor, Online Instructor

Last updated 7/2024

English

What you'll learn

Learn to read short stories for both content and context
Become familiar with the short story structure and how authors manipulate it to suit their needs
Identify literary devices such as similes, metaphors, and personification to make the reading experience more enjoyable and informative
Become adept at using strategies such as prediction to enhance the reading experience
Find or reignite one's love of reading

Course content

8 sections • 36 lectures • 2h 27m total length

Introduction 1 F6:54
Introduction 2 F5:35
Explore how the title signals meaning and how setting, plot, and conflicts shape the protagonist's world, with attention to author and narrator roles.
Introduction 3 F3:15

The New Food - Part 1 F4:06
Identifying Hyperbole
The New Food - Part 2 F2:01
Prediction
The New Food - Part 3 F2:41
Explore imagery and allusion, and how diction creates verbal pictures that engage the five senses; analyze the festive table scene where a pill of nourishment stands in for Christmas dinner.
Allusion
Imagery
The New Food - Part 4 F1:18
Predictions
The New Food - Part 5 F1:12
Identifying hyperbole
Satire
The New Food - Part 63:14
Explore the satirical 'the new food' by Stephen Leacock, examining humor, cautionary themes, and ideas about revolutionizing the future of food.
Document - The New Food Story1:39

A Country Cottage - Part 1 F5:14
Anthropomorphism
A Country Cottage - Part 2 F2:01
Personification
A Country Cottage - Part 3 F2:00
Metaphor
A Country Cottage - Part 4 F2:17
Climax, protagonist, setting
Short written responses (optional)
A Country Cottage - Part 5 p2:52
Explore Chekhov's 'A Country Cottage' through Sasha and Varya's evolving dynamics, the moon as a character, and the chaotic arrival of family, illustrating shifting mood and connections.
Document - A Country Cottage Story2:46

The Story of an Hour - Part 1 F4:39
In media res
The Story of an Hour - Part 2 F1:48
Imagery to Denote Emotion
The Story of an Hour - Part 3 F1:51
Epiphany and Suspense
The Story of an Hour - Part 4 F2:07
Analyze how diction shapes imagery and meaning in Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour, exploring rationalization, self-assertion, and the moment of personal freedom.
Diction
Rationalization (Optional assignment)
The Story of an Hour - Part 5 F3:01
Examine dramatic, romantic, and modernist irony—where what is said differs from meaning or what the audience knows—and see how in the hour-long story joy that kills.
Irony, Protagonist, Title
The Story of an Hour - Part 6 p2:51
Document - The Story of an Hour Text4:12

Dead and Gone - Part 1 F9:53
Examine the narrator and the author-narrator boundary, compare first- and third-person points of view, and consider unreliable narration in Dead and Gone.
Narrator
Dead and Gone - Part 2 F4:42
Simile
Diction
Death
Dead and Gone - Part 3 F3:16
Diction and Contrast
Dead and Gone - Part 4 F3:30
Conflict, Climax, Resolution
Dead and Gone - Part 5 p3:50
Document - Dead and Gone Story7:07

Requirements

You need at least a moderate understanding of the English language in order to comprehend the stories covered.
An eagerness to enjoy the reading process and be willing to open up to new experiences and ideas

Description

Bonus videos added:

* The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County - July 2024

* Tips for Reading Poetry - July 2024

This course is especially for personal development although there are some academic components.

It will be up to the student to determine how in-depth they want to delve into the assignments. They can simply enjoy or they can dig deep.

Reading short stories is more than reading. It is about engaging with the material, the author, the structure, and literary devices that amplify and deepen our understanding and appreciation.

We will be reading a number of short stories, three older stories from famous authors and two stories by yours truly.

We will be looking at the basic short story structure as well as elements and literary devices used by authors, including hyperbole, prediction, imagery, allusion, satire, personification, mood, foreshadowing, similes, in media res, and much more.

The primary goal, however, is to spark enthusiasm in the process of reading. By looking for and extracting more meaning and connections within various texts, the more we can grow and celebrate not only the story we are reading but the whole network of knowledge around fiction – and non-fiction!

We also discover a lot about ourselves through the thoughts and ideas of others.

It is truly incredible how healing learning can be, and learning through fiction can be as simple or as complex as we like.

My wish is for students to fully enjoy the stories while, at the same time, exploring arenas they might never have broached otherwise – not only the stories we cover but in their future reading endeavors as well.

Who this course is for:

Students who want to learn more about short story structure and devices in a fun, informal setting
Anyone with an enthusiasm to open up to new ideas and constructs
People who want to expand their horizons through reading
Learners who like to experience a variety of authors and writing styles

Short Story Reading

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 16min

The New Food - Stephen Leacock7 lectures • 16min

A Country Cottage - Anton Chekhov6 lectures • 17min

The Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin7 lectures • 20min

Dead and Gone by Ronald Johnson6 lectures • 32min

Egg by Ronald Johnson4 lectures • 13min

Final Bits and Pieces1 lecture • 4min

Bonus Videos2 lectures • 28min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: