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Readers are very different; certain people prefer different genres of literature, such as action/adventure, romance, humor, and so on. Despite this, there are some basic criteria that need to be included in the short story for it to be worth reading. In addition, to the different tastes of the readers, literature has to be written for a specific group or target audience.
A well written piece of literature should be written for the specific target audience. Some skillful writers are able to pull this off, as well as writing stories that are great for almost any age group. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a story that can be read leisurely, and is largely read in junior high schools. It depicts a family that comes across a “talisman”, and the repercussions that follow. In “The Lottery”, the readers are very curious about the lottery, what it is about, and who it involves. This makes it a page turner, and in the end it is very satisfying, mainly because of the unexpected climax and ending. Though a well written story needs to have a specific audience, it is also essential that a story has suspense.
Suspense builds up a story, and has the readers on the edge of their seats, eager to find out the ending. “The Lottery” is a great example for this as well. Readers begin the story, and get caught up in trying to find out what the lottery is all about, and who will win it. In a sense, it has an ambiguous ending, because the lottery turns out to be the exact opposite of what you would expect. Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” builds up suspense by describing in great detail the main character, Scrooge, and his negative views of the Christmas season, and pushes readers to read on and find out if Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas. Just as great stories must include suspense, they have to be able to evoke some emotion in the audience.
Stories should have the ability and skill to evoke emotion in the audience. This is important, because...