About this course

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the short story and flash fiction as literary genres. With a prerequisite of a theoretical approach to the genre, students will be trained in the methods, techniques, and styles of short story writing. They will explore the structure and techniques of short stories through the works of renowned Greek and international authors—both past and contemporary—whose stories they will analyze. Furthermore, they will write a significant number of short stories using literary movements and narrative theory as creative tools. Through creative exercises, students will experiment with style and aesthetics while consolidating the relevant theoretical framework.

The course includes:

• A brief historical and literary overview of the short story and flash fiction.
• Narrative structure, techniques, and functions of the short story, as well as aesthetic perspectives and variations in content influenced by literary movements (Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Postmodernism).
• An exploration of key Greek and international short story writers, such as Alexandros Papadiamantis, Michail Mitsakis, Andreas Karkavitsas, Konstantinos Theotokis, Grigorios Xenopoulos, Galatea Kazantzakis, Elli Alexiou, M. Karagatsis, Anton Chekhov, Ernest Hemingway, Katherine Mansfield, Tennessee Williams, Knut Hamsun, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Dino Buzzati, and Gabriel García Márquez. Special focus will be given to their narrative techniques, character development, and plot construction.
• The writing of short stories of varying lengths (150, 300, 800, and 1,200 words), with specific guidelines and targeted constraints addressing the aforementioned topics.