Can the short story survive?

Can the short story survive?

With short stories becoming more of an 

unpopular venture within schools, less of the 

modern youth are appreciating good 

literature as they are lacking this exposure. 

Ever since the rise of the novel within the 

eighteenth century, it appears that the decline

of short stories being read has snow balled.

Within modern society it is almost non-existent. The youth of today, who shall become tomorrow’s society, have seen a dramatic decline of the study of short stories within their education; consequently, students are not exposed to this literature and can leave their education having little or no contact with it at all. The niche for this type of literature has been lost, and the benefits have been forgotten.

However, in order to educate students so that they are ready for life after school, it is of immense importance that a love of reading is promoted, as this will put the student in good habit and prepare them for everyday life and work. Although, there is a rapid rise of reading a full novel within class, so if students do not enjoy the text, they simply have to endure it. Yet if a series of short stories were introduced to the students this would more likely promote a love for reading due to the variety of the text. Because is this not what the role of the teacher and education is? Students are becoming ‘short changed’; as the favourable view of full novel study has funnelled students exposure to a variety of literature. And with the arrival and rise of the internet and modern electrical devices there are more individuals who write and publish their own short stories online. Short stories are continuing with the natural progression of electronic advancements; however, is almost non-existent within the classroom. Although short stories are a part of our heritage and a gateway into other cultures and should have equal parity with other literature.