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Introduction to Literature

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There are similarities and differences between the literary forms of the short story, the poem, and drama. For example, one major difference is that both poetry and drama frequently place a strong emphasis on performance before an audience that is physically present, while the short story is more commonly intended for individual reading.

With that said, it is important to remember that all literary works cannot always be easily classified into a single genre. Moreover, literary works which might be classified as belonging to one genre might possess many qualities more typical of other genres. For example, Shakespeare's Macbeth is classified as drama, but in many respects takes the form of poetry. In other words, sometimes the differences between categories like drama, poetry, and the short story are not so easily defined. Often, a short story might contain poetic or dramatic qualities, or a poem might include narrative and dramatic features.

In your post, summarize the major similarities and differences between the forms of drama, poetry, and the short story. In your response, include at least one example of each literary form. If you wish, you may also point to examples, which indicate the blurring of literary genres (e.g., the poetic qualities of Macbeth or the dramatic elements of Gift of the Magi).

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The following posting discusses the similarities and differences between short stories, poems and dramas.

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Hello and welcome to Brain Mass today. This is a very good question!

Short stories, poetry, and drama are different genre in literature; however, they share many similar elements including figure of setting, allegory, and foreshadowing. Let us first define what each of these is. Poetry is a writing that is arranged using patterns of sound, rhythms, shapes of lines, images, metaphors, or free style to create an emotional response in the reader. Poems can be in the form of a narrative or short verse. A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format is usually not as long as ...

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