Unit 4 Short Stories by Megha | UGC-NET English June 2026 | #nonfiction #englishliterature #netjrf

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[00:00:00]Hey everyone, welcome to our channel Mega Discourse. Hope you all are doing good for your paper. Yugji Sa has given us ultimatum of these 40 45 days. Till now we have covered unit one drama most important dramas. Unit two poem again most important poems and in unit four that is non-fiction. I have given video on essay six major essays and the major essays. Now this is the time for short story. Short story is a minor topic because it comes under non-fiction and many student they skipped this non-fiction part but you will amaze to know that previously last two or three years they have asked questions from this short story directly in the match the following question. So after seeing the pattern I think we should cover this topic and you should not skip this video. It is not because this topic is not mandatory but sometimes a little question will enough for your GRS certificate or for your net certificate or for your PhD certificate. Stay connected till the end of the video.

[00:01:07]This is going to be an interesting video. You already have heed about short stories. Our grandmothers, grandfathers, they used to tell us short stories but these short stories they are not literary journals. Yes, in old English literature we have many tales like cane tale, punch tantra, we have many jatak stories of Buddhism and janism time they are kind of short stories but at that time literary genre short story as a literary genre was not evolved. This short story it was evolved after 19th century and we will cover the modern short story pattern the modern short story literary genre in this video only can short story writer the major short story writer. So without wasting much time let's start our first major short story writer. Before moving to our short story writer we need to understand the origin of the short story. So here it come in early 19th century. Before that as I told you it was not act as a literary genre. Short story was in the fashion at that time under the name of fables, parables, folktales but it was not a literary genre but after 19th century it was in was considered as a literary genre. Okay. Now there are some points you need to understand that father of modern short stories Edgar Alan Poe. This is these points are your mandatory points to understand the origin of short story. Before Edgar Alan Poe it was only considered as a form as a folktale as a parable as a fables but Edgar Alan Poe through his works the philosophy of composition. In this work he has given three parts. First is unity of effect. Second he has given length and then the tone. These are the three utmost point after which he was considered as the father of modern short story. He said that a short story should read in a single sitting. It should be short and have a limit of single sitting. So this is what he called length. He said that the method sorry here is the method not the tone. The method should be should be there should be no artistic intuition. It should be totally based on uh it should not be spontaneous. It should be methological or analytical. Okay. And unity of effect he wants to say that of effect means the writer should write the story for the emotional impact of the reader to create some fear or some suspense or some easiness in the mind of reader. He use different narratives so that the mind of a reader can understand some certain conditions and because of the reader's mind the writer is able to convey the meaning of the short story. So this is the unity of effect. So just keep these three things in your mind and this essay was published in 1840. Okay. Now the next we have father of French short story is Ge Moasan. This person he is father of French short story as Edgar Alan Po is the father of our American short story. So this he is associated with naturalist school of thought we will cover him in detail just you have to know about this fact. Now the master of contemporary short story is Alice Monroe and she is the first writer to get Nobel prize for short story. So this is that's why she is very important to analyze. Okay. So let's read them in detail. First we have Edgar Alan Poe. He is an American and this is the date of birth you should know because they can give you questions in chronology. Okay.

[00:05:04]So he's father of modern short story. I will read that the philosophy of composition. Okay. Now he has given this unity of effect theory in 1842 essay in Graham's magazine. This is important point that this essay was published in GS magazine. Sorry. He pioneered Gothic fiction and psychological horror. Okay.

[00:05:22]He hallucination this is a concept as you know. Okay. To dream alive. So this is the central character so far as Edgar Alan Po is corre concerned. He used this hallucination concept in his work so that to create some psychological horror in the mind of reader. For example, we have the telltale heart and there is a hallucination of blinking eye glittering eyes. or you can say okay in the mind of narrator that's why he murdered okay so this is why it's called h hallucination concept similarly we have William Wilson in this is your pyq writing here you will get a dope langanger effect that is the narrator and the villain they are same they are resembling each other and because of the resemble the villain wants to prove that the narrator is the culprit and this is how he do so many tactics and that is why It creates some hallucination point some psychological horror and he is a pioneer of gothic fiction that's why he is considered as a father of detective story because he has given so many detective stories title so many new genre in detective stories and because of psychological horror you just keep this thing in mind that he said that the horror lies in uh human mind it is not anywhere but it is in the reader's mind because a reader is who is percepting everything a reader is reading the text at the short story and when he considered psychological horror when he considered that yes the supernatural element lies in the universe then he then automatically the horror creates and writer wins. Okay. So this is the mindset of Edgar Alan Po behind using the psychological horror ghost supernatural thing in the works.

[00:07:07]Okay. So this is the point. Another point is that Edgar Alan Poe he his themes are very dark. He is also considered to write with the theme of death, guilt. You will find suspension and supernatural element, madness, decay. Okay, these kind of themes you will find in a short story like in telltale heart. Okay, death, murder.

[00:07:27]Okay, similarly in William Wilson, you will find here some types of guilt and decay. So like in the fall of Asher again decay. So these are themes and that's why he is called as related to dark romanticist because of these themes. Okay. So this is he blends logic and imagination very well. That's why he is his short story are very short and intense. Okay. And uh you need to remember all the highlighted one like first we have the telltale heart. This is your PQ. The fall of Usher is your PQ. The pit and pendulum oval portrait impose pop frog William Vincson they are your some PVQ of last two or three years they have given in the match the following or in the options form okay so just keep these thing in your mind free telltale heart and just one line summary of this on your own okay so I am guiding you for your paper if you are following us so you need to follow each and every point we are saying to you next we have ge moasan he is an writer this is his date but no need to remember this one he is Polar is the father of French short story. Okay. He's associated with naturalist school and master of realism.

[00:08:38]So this is important point. First you need to understand realism means realism where things realize as it is. The writer presents thing as it is.

[00:08:49]Naturalism means he presents positive and negative aspects of life. He is more pessimistic towards life because he presents that nature is not good for everyone. Okay. Like some positive words say no nature is everything like romantics. Okay. So he is not like romantics. He says that nature is very cruel to the humans. So that's why Ge Moasan he writes with naturalistic approach in his short story. He is known for his irony. He used irony in the works twisting ending and social critique because he presents those type of social element in the works. Most of the writers do not want to talk on that one. Okay. And he was influenced by Gust Flobert. This is important one. He was highly influenced. So you will find some element of Gust Floatbert writing in the works of this person. And these are some important short story. Before that I would like to tell you the feature of his short story writing. He used with naturalism realism that his short story will find very simplicity theme. He used very sharp observation in the works and he revealed harsh truth because he belongs to naturalist school. Okay. And he with the help of irony you will find unexpected ending. Okay. Like his plotting is very clever, minute, very observe empiricist kind of person he is.

[00:10:14]He depicts harsh nature of human mindset. Okay. He depict negative aspect of human mindset. Like in many works he used French war and he said that how ordinary people are destroyed by the forces beyond their control because in war we have seen that ordinary people died the loss of is the loss of ordinary people the common people are more than the elite one okay the government one so he said that it is uncontrollable common people cannot do anything in the war human life is governed by and social constraint rather than moral justice. So because of naturalist aspect his mind is like that. Okay. The most important short short story he wrote B this you this is on French Persian war the necklace this is very important as you can see here the necklace. So in the necklace there is a husband and wife.

[00:11:12]Okay. And the wife she wants to be a life of a luxurious life. So what she did she purchased a necklace from her friend. Okay. And the necklace this necklace it was of 36,000 Franks and she lost it somehow and it took 10 year to collect this 36,000 money. But the twistic ending is that at the end of the story she get to know from her friend from the same friend that this necklace is actually a replica. It is not original it is not of 36,000 Franks. Okay. So when she came to know that this is not right this is not true to his mindset before doing something she wants to first she needs to conversation with his with her friend.

[00:12:05]But what she did she just flee there and she lived a very poor life and she took 10 years to collect this money to pay for the necklace. Okay. So at the end this is a twisting ending. This is the irony that she wants a luxurious that she wanted a luxurious life but at the end she become a poor one. Okay. So this is how the necklace we have twisting and now then we have the whole this is your PQ option. Two friends is important. The friends gent is important. Okay, just have a look on first two. This is your important one. Next we have Anton Czechov. He is a revolutionized writer.

[00:12:44]He revolutionized in short story and by focusing on ordinary life. Okay. He is from Russia but he is co-redited as a father of modern short story because he is he revolutionized short story through the characterization. There is a term Czechov's gun and slice of life. First Czechov said that a short story is a narrative fiction in pros that can typically be read in single setting. So this is also the mindset of Anton Chakov. Now the question is that what is Czechov's gun? He means to say that in every story every element must serve as a purpose. Remove every that has no relevance to the story. If it is not going to be fired, it should not be hanging there. If it is not relevant, then just remove that thing. So this is Techovsk. He shows narrative economy that if it is not relevant to add in it, just remove it. And because why he said that? Because he said there is a no need to have dramatic plots. There's a no need to have plot, subplot and big plots. He said that no focus on art of characterization. Okay, characters are important. Characters are those who build the short story not the plot one.

[00:14:02]So he focuses on characters, the values, the psychological depth, the subtle emotions, emotional shift. Okay. So that is what he revolutionized in the short story that art of characterization is important rather plots and that's why he is co-redit as father of modern short story and this is what we call chakovsk now he's a pioneer of slice of life technique slice of life means he focuses on the characterization he focuses on the character's mindset he focuses on the character's terror emotions and his stories avoid clear resolution He presented life as it is. He said that life is uncertain uncertain. So every uncertainity. So it is the duty of writer to present that uncertaintity in the work and he presents that uncertaintity. He did not present character as a good one. No life as flows. Life has tragedy. So he presented that tragedy and the beauty of life equally. So his short story blends tragedy and beauty equally. Okay. And third thing is that he presents open ending. He said that life life has tragedy. Okay. So in tragedy life we do not have good ending. Okay. There's a maybe bad bad ending. There may be no ending. So he presents short story with open ending. That why we need to focus on the good ending or why we need to focus on a good beginning. So there you will find no beginning no ending in the works of Anton Chakov. Okay. So the works are open-ending. Life itself does not have need resolution. So why we need to add good open good ending in the works. Okay. The most important work he wrote the runway. Okay. Another we have these just have a look. A woman's luck is important because your pyq option.

[00:15:51]Okay. And this chorus girl just have a look because it is your first one. Okay.

[00:15:56]Let's move to next one. Next we have Oh Henry. Oh Henry is the pseudonym of William Sign Porter. You all know about this person. So he's an American. This is the real name. So this is your first question. Pseudonym section of William Sydney Porter. He's known for his short story a lot. And the famous short story he wrote is the gift of Maggie. Okay.

[00:16:20]And he has given so many collections for the short story like first he has given cabbage and kings. Second one is the four million. It is a collection of 25 stories. It is a collection of I think 19 or 18 stories. Okay. And he has given also like the voice of city. These are the collections and the important work sixes and sevens. This is a famous jenji term as well. Okay. And so just have the look on the collections. Now let's have a look on the features of Oh Henry short story writing. He has affection for New York City. Just New York City. He loves New York City and that's why he used the setting of New York City in the works a lot. He said he called this New York city is Baghdad on the subway. This is the court he writes for this New York City. Okay. Most important thing that he features workingclass people. He presents middle-class life in this short story. He wrote about ordinary American life with warmth and humor. And this ordinary life is New York. Okay. There is the Oh Henry award after the name of William Sydney Porter which was given for the literature okay and given annually for the best short story. Just keep this in mind. Oh Henry award is given for the short story. Okay. So you will find famous for surprise and twisting ending will be there. So this is what we call oh Henry ending. How?

[00:17:43]Let us understand this for first year has a gift of Maggie. There is a couple.

[00:17:48]Okay. So I my drawing is not good but I need to make it understandable. So we have John and Dela. Sorry, Jim and Da.

[00:17:58]They both love each other. They are husband and wife. Dela, she has long hair and very beautiful hair. And this person, he has a watch, some kind of aesthetic pics. Okay. He does not want to make her long hair cut and she does not want to sell that watch. So what they did? They they earned a lot with hard work and on their anniversary they decided that they will give each other a present. He wants to purchase this comb for Dela. Okay. And she wants to purchase a chain for the watch. Okay.

[00:18:36]Now at the end what happened? Why it is called twist ending that she cut her long hair and sell the and sold that long hair and in return she purchased the chen for the watch and he sold this watch so that he can purchase this comb for her wife. This is what we call twist twisting ending that what for a goodness they both are doing hard work at the end of the story they are in the same place after having a lot of work. Okay. So that's why this is important. The last leaf you have watched movie on that. The last leaf you have read the chapter on the last leaf as well. The ransom of red chief. This is a 10year-old boy. The kidnapper kidnapped that 10year-old child. And they asked for ransom to his father. But the child was kid. He was so much mischief. We are so much naughty that in return the ransom has given the money to the father that please take back your child. Okay. So this is how the twistic ending he used in the short story with the high resolution. Okay. So have a look on these three. Hard to forget your pyq option and a lick penny lover. This is the first one. So you have to keep in this mind. Okay. So collection is important so far as oh Henry is concerned. Next we have James Joyce is Irish person. Okay. And he introduced epiphany in short fiction. So that's why it is under it is very necessary to read James so far as short stories concerned. His famous short story collection is Dubliners in which you will find 15 short story. Just keep this point in your mind. And he presents a paralysis of Dublin life means the monotonous life of Dublin and he wrote with uh search for national identity.

[00:20:27]Okay. And what is epiphany? Epiphany means a moment where character experience what life self at that point he need he understands that this is the twisting point of my life and I have to work on that. So that is what we call the epiphany and he used epiphany in his works a lot. Okay. So he used stream of consciousness as you know very well that James Joyce he is the master of stream of consciousness along with visa wolf the cats of kopen gun and finote they are collection just and first is the dubliners this is the second collection this is the third collection and the important one is important short story the sisters and encounter Arab just keep this thing in mind dubliners is important just have a look because they can give this question directly okay no need to read the sto short stories of James is just Dubliners. Next we have Katherine Manifil. She is New Zealand born but called a British writer. She explored female experience, class, power through impressionistic style. So her style is impressionistic means she presents impression to the reader who reads the short story of Katherine Manifil. She is again the master of stream of consciousness and interior monologue as along with visa wolf jump.

[00:21:50]Okay. And Henry James. She is the friend of Vinia Wolf. She is related to Viza Wolf as she has worked in the magazine of in the Hogarth in the Hogarth Press.

[00:22:01]She is the founder of Hogarth Press. So she has worked with Hogarth Press. Okay.

[00:22:06]So Ketri Manifeld her husband is John Melton. You know very well about Mor.

[00:22:13]Okay. Now why I need to add this information? Because we have DH Lawren the another writer major writer who writes a work women in love and this work in this work DH Lawrence he presented Katherine and John Middleton love story. That's why this work is important. This is the important fact you need to connect the dot. while reading literature. Okay. So, this is you can say this is additional information but very useful. Kathine Manifil she writes she explored anxiety, Christianity and sexuality existential crisis. She has some existential crisis and that's why she presented in the life okay the important Katherine and John Middleton they work in the magazine rhythm and after that the love story began. So the famous collection have in a German pension bliss and other story is important. The garden party another story is again important. Okay. The dove's nest something childish is important. So just have these in your mind. Okay. Now garden party is important asked directly. The dollhouse is important. A dollhouse is work of Henry Gibson. The dollhouse is a short story of Katherine Manfield because they both were asked in your pyq. Now what is the story of garden party? There is a main protagonist is Laura Shreidan.

[00:23:38]Okay. So in the eyes of Laura Shreidan that is a long sleeve which help us to move away from this war to move from the trouble of this world. So this is what the theme of the garden party is a party but not is on party it is on death. She presents the pal life of on a one instance there is a party and on the other hand there is a death of a person and on a one hand the person is enjoying their life she is the head of the she is the daughter eldest daughter of the family who has throwing the party garden party and another we have a death of their some servant husband okay so now she came to know that everything is which is looking very good one is not actually good one and she after having the conversation with the mother and after seeing the behavior of society she said that finally death is a long sleeve which help you to move away from the trouble of this life okay so this is all about our ketrians hope you are enjoying this lecture the next we have Ramida Nate Ramanor is Bengali related to Bengali literature and rabbinda nate his pseudonyame his pan name is Bhanush Shimaha that is sun lion. Okay. He his short story is Galpakuja which is very famous and in which you will find 84 stories and it is in three volume. He wrote on colonial India rural life, human emotions and social reforms. Okay.

[00:25:12]The famous short story he wrote Kabulia that is the fruit seller is from Kabuli.

[00:25:18]He sells the fruits in the India in the basically ethical kolkata and he presents the pleha of that kabula. He murdered a man who has not given the money after purchasing fruits from him, nuts from him and he murdered that person. It was not deliberately, it was not intentionally but it was happened because of the situations. Okay. And he got imprisoned and after that the life has changed. He has a daughter and there's a another daughter who is actually reflecting the age of his daughter. Okay. And she sells the fruit everyday nearest protagonist daughter and she liked him a lot as a being a person and the father he know very well that this kabuli wallala is good one but when he looked the instance that he killed a pan so he was frightened in and the story moves around and then and the same girl who was only the four yearear-old when he was imprisoned now this is a time for the marriage of that girl okay so this is How story moves and this was really a good one you should read that the broken nest is important pu okay and another is master mashai detective so these are some important one have a look on that one okay so invented actually Bengali short story he so he is known as a pioneer of Bengali short story writing and he gives Indian themes in that one he presents Indian life Indian poor life and of common people in his box. Next we have Sadat Hassan Mto. You know very well about Manto. His tobat Singh is the famous one and your recurrently PYQ. He is a greatest short story udu writer. He invented Udu short story in 20th century and he has given near around 22 collection of short story and you know very well in one collection we have bare minimum 15 short story. Okay. So that's why he is known the best short story collector writer. His themes are mostly based on partition literature. He wrote on trauma, identity and violence of 1947.

[00:27:30]So he called partition of partition of India as a over tragedy. Okay. Just keep this thing in your mind. Your sq. Okay.

[00:27:39]And you can say madding maddingly senseless. He called it maddingly senseless. Okay. So this is the theme like his first short story is Tamasha.

[00:27:52]This is your again pyq and important point. Okay. It is based on jalyia that is 13th April 19. Another heo kosh bu mo all are important. You have to keep all these name in your mind. Toba takes singing is important. Have just have a look on this one. It is we have the main character is Bishan Singh. He's actually sick and this character is important. It was asked in your PQ match in the following. Okay. And next we have Haruki Murakami. He is from Japan and he is widely known for magical realism and suralism short story after Gabriel and Salman Rashi Haruki Moakami. He is he has used this magical realism with very keen observation. Okay. and he presents loneliness and isolation in the short story. His short story has open and inconclusive ending or blend of western Japanese culture. You will find in the short story of Harooi Murakami like we have a short story that is super frog saves Tokyo and their frog is 6t tall. So this is supernatural surrealism element in the work like another short story he wrote the second bakery attack like he presents isolation loneliness Japanese culture and like in this bakery attack there's a wife there's a couple actually who attacks on the bakery second time for a sandwich okay just for a sandwich they attacked so represents common people life okay he wrote birthday girl again sim okay so you will find similar theme like we have drive car so these are some important short stories but the collection is important more important than the short story name like after the qu this is the masterpiece short story collection man without women yeah this is your pyq 2024 or I think so this is your pyq 2025 jen okay and first person singular is important so collections are very important so far as haruki haruki murakami is concerned he presents mundane life now what is mundane like in the beginning you will find in The scene starts person is ironing a shirt or cooking something. So this is the mundane task he presents. First person he used first person narrative a loting motive like frog is a motive. Here is a bakery is the motive or women is a motive. Okay. Like drive karif motive.

[00:30:20]So he used motives a lot. Symbolism you will find in the works of Haruki Murakami. Okay. Now next and last we have Alice Monro. She is the winner of Nobel Prize in literature for short story and that's why she is important one. Okay, she is Canadian short story writer but she is Canadian short story writer. Okay, in the editing sometimes we miss to delete the wrong information.

[00:30:48]So her short story features are like she used nonlinear time structure back and forth life you can say a flashback technique. Okay. In her works you will find a lot. She got a lot of award like governor general award three times, four times, man bookers international prize 2009. So please have a look on that and you will have a question on 23 or 2025 on Alice Monro. Okay. She explored human complexities. She presents psychological realism epipanic moment again sudden realization. James Joyce has used that and now Alice Monroe she used female experience and gender roles and this is your question of RPSC assistant professor exam ambiguous ending interlin story she used one correct one short story character in another short story as a minor character okay so this is the feature of Ellis Monro works okay she is first Canadian to win and I think 13 13th women to get this Nobel Prize literature so far is the collection of short stories is concerned Alice Mono is important. So have a look. Dance of the happy shade. This is the first collection. So you should know about that. Lives of girls and women. It is on your childhood story of women's first published in 1971. This is your PyQ. Who do you think you are? Again your PYQ.

[00:32:07]And then we have the moon Jupiter. It is again the theme of women female matur female maturity. It is a theme have female maturity. All highlighted are your PYQ. Then we have the love of good women 1998. It is on illness and death of women. How women died again.

[00:32:24]Hateship, friendship, courtship, love ship, marriage, your pyq. The view from castle rock. Too much happiness. Dear life important one after 2013 when she got Nobel prize she stops writing. Okay.

[00:32:37]So first collection you should know last collection and in betweenway these four collection runway for runway she got international booker prize. Okay. So just have a look on the Alice Monro. She is very important. I must say you have a look on Alice Monroe. Okay. Don't say ma'am we forget to have a look on that one. So her characterization is very rich. She's very imaginative writer.

[00:33:00]Okay. So now we have another master of short story writer. I cannot add all here but yes have a look on that one.

[00:33:08]Like we have Ishmaukti half. This is important. They all are your PQ of I think last five to six years. Okay. Then we have HP lover the call of Cthulu the Dunwitch horror. They are not only related to UGC but you if are you preparing for assistant professor exam this will help you. Okay.

[00:33:28]So next we have Leo Toltoy. How much land does a man need? That of Ivan Irish like we know that Leo Tolstery he wrote novels a lot but yes he is known al he is also known for short story. Ivan Gunev, this is master a sportsman sketch is important. Yudr keeping the man who would be king rickety. Yeah, this is your pyq short story. French kafka the metamorphosis again you know very well this is your pyq and a hungered artist.

[00:33:54]George Lewis bodies you can skip that person but yes have a just keep this thing in your mind.

[00:34:00]Anest Hammingway being a novelist, being a write, being a playwright, he wrote hills like white elephants, the snow of Kilimanzaro. This is important. Tom Sardi, the three stranger, the only short story, Ray Bradbury, the weather, the sound of thunder, who has given far far important work. Okay. So have a look on this table as well. And yes, another important thing is that announcement again you can get the UGC English notes.

[00:34:27]you can contact on me this number. Okay, I cannot make video on that one because I think it's a waste of time. If you want to purchase our notes then you can message me. Okay, and if you have any problem regarding your any net paper, set paper, assistant professor paper, then you also can contact me on this number. We are always available to and happy to help you. And there are so much good feedback on our notes and thank you who who are giving us so much wishes and a good feedback. So you can purchase these notes. These are basically based on your revision time last revision time as well as you can purchase for your assistant professor paper your set entrance your master exams. Okay. So we have given five units already. I have told you about that. So you can have a look and you can message me for samples for queries. Okay. So, so prepare for your exam with your heart.