Night Vision: Reading Short Stories

Night Vision: Reading Short Stories

Although short stories are frequently taught, there appears to be no generally accepted method for teaching them, hence students fail to develop interpretive skills. Using Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" as a basic text, a method for reading is proposed involving a nocturnal journey by the protagonist into a forest. Examples for the significance of this journey are adduced from a few fairy tales and such classical writers as Virgil, Shakespeare and Dante. The essay concludes with an interpretation of three modern short stories involving a journey into a forest. Once students have internalized this model of reading they may approach new short stories with more assurance.