The artistic function of fantastic assumption in O. Henry’s short stories
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-11-194-202
Abstract
The article considers several short stories by O. Henry, where he uses a fantastic assumption and which stand out from the purely realistic work of the author. They reflected O. Henry’s creative situation: adventure and melodramatic plots lost their former appeal for him, and he tried to move away from the developed plot models that had turned into clichés. Using the example of the considered short stories, one can trace the general evolution of the short story genre in the work of O. Henry, to see how the vector of the author’s attitude is changing towards his heroes, to the short story plot, to the conflict typical for the genre.
About the Author
D. A. RozevatovRussian Federation
Denis A. Rozevatov, Cand. of Sci. (Philology), associate professor
164-2, 410012, Moskovskaya St., Saratov, 410018
References
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Review
For citations:
Rozevatov D.A. The artistic function of fantastic assumption in O. Henry’s short stories. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2025;(11(1)):194-202. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-11-194-202
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