Title
Parodies of Six-Word Stories: A Comic Literary Metagenre
Document Type
Article
Annotation
Citing Hemingway's incorrectly attributed "baby shoes" as the prototype of the six-word story, Fishelov situates parodies of six-word stories within their generic, metageneric, and parodic contexts. Fishelov identifies central characteristics of the form and discusses how these elements combine in dozens of story examples (e.g., "For sale. BMW. Blinkers never used."). Notes that knowledge of the genre and "baby shoes" story is vital for fully appreciating the humor of some parodies, which he suggests attests to the mini-genre's growing popularity and range.
Published in
Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate
Volume
31
Date
2022
Pages
33-55
COinS
Citation
Fishelov, David. "Parodies of Six-Word Stories: A Comic Literary Metagenre." Connotations: A Journal for Critical Debate 31 (2022): 33-55.