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A short story is "...broadly defined as anywhere between one thousand and twenty thousand words. One expectation... is that it may be read in a single sitting."(Mays 32) This reminds be of the reading we read Sonny's Blues because of how short it was. I was able to read it within' 10-15 minutes or so especially since it takes me to read it more than once to fully understand.

As Arlen J. Hansen states, "... brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually deals with only a few characters...The short story is usually conveyed with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few significant episodes or scenes...often judged by its ability to provide a "complete" or satisfying treatment of it characters and subject." I learned that short stories are in one or a certain few episodes and that it is difficult to complete the characters and subject.

After reading an article that discusses African short stories and the questions of the audience, I figured out that there was and still is an argument on whether African short stories "use a supplementary critique" as the author stated in her article. A quote I found helpful in understand what she meant, "Recent discussions on the African short story tend to focus on the efforts to promote short-story writing...argue that writers may be tempted to write only on topics that the audience hosting the prize is eager to read about. Only rarely do such conversations on the African short story critically engage with the stories. Doing so would reveal that four recent award-winning African short stories, Folarin’s ‘Miracle’, Bulawayo’s ‘Hitting Budapest’, Osondu’s ‘Waiting’, and Owuor’s ‘The Weight of Whispers’, set into relief global problems such as poverty, hunger, political strife and immigration to carry a caustic critique of the very audience to whose tastes they are believed to pander..."(Edwin 365) It seems like authors who write, end up creating the theme of the story in a way that the audience would like to hear. I personally don't see a problem in that because when you are performing a speech, let alone getting in front of an audience; it's smart to keep in mind who your audience is. That way you can relate to them and keep it interesting in their mind.

A few short story writers: Robert Olen Butler, Tobias Wolff, Jennifer Egan, Lorrie Moore, Jhumpa Lahiri

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As described in the reading by Mays, "....compromises prose narratives that present history in imaginative ways... closely to the facts of history and actual lives..."(Mays 32) The setting is in the past. Historical fiction may also be defined as movies and novels.

Example: A novel that is about a World War ll battle that has happened.

This fiction was developed by Sir Walter Scott around 1815(Mays 32)

An interesting fact I found while reading an article, "It is important for readers of historical fiction to understand that not everything within the story is fiction, nor are all the elements historically factual. Readers need to think of historical fiction as existing on a continuum between a factually accurate accounting of events at one end and a fictional narrative on the other..."(Serafini 117) I learned that it is important to realize that when your reading a Historical book, not everything is true. You'd think so but not every source is credible.

As I think back to my childhood education years, I recall reading a ton of picture books because there was no other way for me to understand what the book was about unless I had pictures. In literature, as Suzette Youngs and Frank Serafini explain it: "Historical fiction picturebooks represent a unique art form in children’s literature because they encompass artistic and imaginative reconstructions of the past through words, images, and design features intended to help readers make sense of historical events and concepts. Historical fiction in picturebook format has become a prominent feature of many contemporary publishers’ catalogs and intermediate and primary-grade classrooms (Rycik & Rosler, 2009). Teachers use these picturebooks across the curriculum to supplement social studies content (Moss, 2003; Temple, Martinez, & Yokota, 2006). I now understand the many ways Historical literature is viewed. There may be different explanations but after reading this article I found out more than expected.

A few Historical Fiction writers: Philippa Gregory, Margaret George, Diana Gabaldon, Tracy Chevalier,

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As written by The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, "...imaginative fiction dependent for effect on strangeness of setting(such as other worlds or times) And of characters(such as supernatural or unnatural beings). (...) Science fiction can be seen as a form of fantasy... as science fiction usually is set in the future and is based on some aspect of science of technology, while fantasy is set in an imaginary world of features the magic of mythical beings." Both science fiction and fantasy seem interesting to learn and read about. They both have their similarities and differences, and some are mentioned in the quote above.

In an article I read there was a lot of discussions about children' fantasy and I found this specific quote interesting, "Finding a critical language in which to speak about children's fantasy texts is not as straightforward as might first appear. Children's literature, as a younger a poorer relation of English literature, has inevitably been the recipient of critical and theoretical hand-me-downs, many of which are entirely appropriate to their task, but some less so."(Goodherham 171) Children are being taught literature that is poorer relation to English. Personally, I am not sure if that's a problem. As long as someone learns to read and write, then it should be their choice on whether or not they would like to continue their knowledge about Literature.

A few fantasy writers: William Shakespear(A Midsummer Night's Dream), Jonathan Swift's(Gulliver's Travels, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings) , J.R.R Tolkien, C.S Lewis, J.K Rowling, Robin Hobb,

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Youngs, Suzette and Frank Serafini. "Comprehension Strategies for Reading Historical Fiction Picturebooks." Reading Teacher, vol. 65, no. 2, Oct. 2011, pp. 115-124.

Gooderham, David. "Children's Fantasy Literature: Toward an Anatomy." Children's Literature in Education, vol. 26, no. 3, Sept. 1995, p. 171.

Hansen, Arlen J. “Short Story.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Apr. 2016.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Fantasy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Aug. 2018.

Edwin, Shirin. "(Un)Solving Global Challenges: African Short Stories, Literary Awards and the Question of Audience." Journal of African Cultural Studies, vol. 28, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 359-371.