THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE POETICS OF THE SHORT STORY

This article explores the poetics of the short story through various theoretical lenses, including formalism, structuralism, narratology, reader-response theory, and cultural criticism. It examines how the short story’s brevity, suggestiveness, and narrative economy shape its artistic form. The study argues that the short story is not a miniature novel, but a distinct literary genre with its own internal principles. Special attention is given to the role of silence, reader interpretation, and genre flexibility, as well as to the short story’s cultural and political significance. The article concludes that the poetics of the short story lie in its ability to produce rich, complex meaning within strict spatial limits.