--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Short stories are often treated as the…" description: "\"“Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.”\" — Christopher Bram" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png" --- # Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of… ![“Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.” quote by Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png) > ““Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.”” [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short stories are frequently seen as lesser than novels, reflecting a bias toward longer narratives. **In simple terms:** Short stories are seen as inferior to novels. Key Takeaway Recognize the unique value of short fiction. Themes literature form perception Mood reflective analytical Type literary critical When to use this quote - creative writing classes - literary criticism - publishing decisions Key Concepts narrative economy genre hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How does format affect perceived value? - What can elevate short stories in readers' eyes? A Different Perspective Short stories can be as impactful as novels despite length. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [We Poor Cousins don’t care at all though, except for when we’re on welfare, broke, starving, unable to buy cool high-tops for our children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/we-poor-cousins-don-t-care-at-all-though-except-for-when-we-re-on/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [Novels definitely come more naturally to me. When I write short stories, it's always a fight against it expanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-shipstead/novels-definitely-come-more-naturally-to-me-when-i-write-short/) [Maggie Shipstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-shipstead/) > [Well, to be honest I think I'm a better short story writer than a novelist. Novels I find very hard, hours and hours, weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-brown/well-to-be-honest-i-think-i-m-a-better-short-story-writer-than-a/) [Eric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-brown/) > [“Ruskin says that anyone who expects perfection from a work of art knows nothing of works of art. This is an appealing sentence that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/ruskin-says-that-anyone-who-expects-perfection-from-a-work-of-art/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [But at the same time, I have trouble keeping things out of books, which is why I don't write short stories because they turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/but-at-the-same-time-i-have-trouble-keeping-things-out-of-books-which/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [I'm very interested in writing - it just takes so much discipline, whether it's short stories or novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-m-very-interested-in-writing-it-just-takes-so-much-discipline/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I have some other novels I want to write. I have a lot of short stories - I love the short story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-have-some-other-novels-i-want-to-write-i-have-a-lot-of-short/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [“Short stories force us to keep our distance from the characters; novels bring us closer to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mikics/short-stories-force-us-to-keep-our-distance-from-the-characters/) [David Mikics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mikics/) > [When I was one day old, I learned how to read. When I was two days old, I started to write. By the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/when-i-was-one-day-old-i-learned-how-to-read-when-i-was-two-days-old/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [Novels are more difficult simply because they are longer and require more juggling, but short stories are closer to perfection, if you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/novels-are-more-difficult-simply-because-they-are-longer-and-require/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [As a kid, I dreamt of becoming a writer. My most exciting pastime was reading novels; in fact, I would read anything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryam-mirzakhani/as-a-kid-i-dreamt-of-becoming-a-writer-my-most-exciting-pastime-was/) [Maryam Mirzakhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryam-mirzakhani/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) ## More by Christopher Bram > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Sociologists say a neighbourhood is perceived as gay if anywhere between 15 to 25 percent of the residents are homosexual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/sociologists-say-a-neighbourhood-is-perceived-as-gay-if-anywhere/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“In the new style, homosexuals and heterosexuals could be equally unhappy, equally happy, and equally screwed up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/in-the-new-style-homosexuals-and-heterosexuals-could-be-equally/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Being a Boy Scout saved my life. I was a bookish, introverted kid, shy and withdrawn, unhappy and easily bullied. I was also gay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/being-a-boy-scout-saved-my-life-i-was-a-bookish-introverted-kid-shy/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Art is long and life is short.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/art-is-long-and-life-is-short/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“A younger writer, David Leavitt, would later say he envied White for having “such a representative life”. And it’s true: the zeitgeist blew through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-younger-writer-david-leavitt-would-later-say-he-envied-white-for/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Ginsberg was the favourite bohemian poet of straight college boys who wanted to transgress, and of gay college boys who were not yet ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/ginsberg-was-the-favourite-bohemian-poet-of-straight-college-boys-who/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Good prose is solitary work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/good-prose-is-solitary-work/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Vidal himself joked that at a certain age lawsuits took the place of sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/vidal-himself-joked-that-at-a-certain-age-lawsuits-took-the-place-of/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [Stories have the ability to take us inside all kinds of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/stories-have-the-ability-to-take-us-inside-all-kinds-of-life/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Yeats was straight, but as Auden wrote in ‘In Memory of WB Yeats’: “You were silly like us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/yeats-was-straight-but-as-auden-wrote-in-in-memory-of-wb-yeats-you/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“Everybody is Other in Maupin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/everybody-is-other-in-maupin/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“A writer who can’t use his firsthand experience must turn to secondhand experience, which can lead to thirdhand clichés.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-writer-who-can-t-use-his-firsthand-experience-must-turn-to/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [“If oppression produced saints, we’d want everyone to be oppressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/if-oppression-produced-saints-we-d-want-everyone-to-be-oppressed/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [We’re happier when the assholes are villains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/we-re-happier-when-the-assholes-are-villains/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) [Explore all 45 Christopher Bram quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Bram" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-poor-cousins-of-novels/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-poor-cousins-of-novels/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/christopher-bram-14723_books_short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-p_692632.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Short stories are often treated as the poor cousins of novels.” — Christopher Bram", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Bram", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Short stories are often treated as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-poor-cousins-of-novels/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/short-stories-are-often-treated-as-the-poor-cousins-of-novels/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```