--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let's press ahead a little further by…" description: "\"“Let's press ahead a little further by sketching out a few variations among short shorts: ONE THRUST OF INCIDENT. (Examples: Paz, Mishima, Shalamov, Ba..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg" --- # Let's press ahead a little further by sketching out a few… ![“Let's press ahead a little further by sketching out a few variations among short shorts: ONE THRUST OF INCIDENT. (Examples: Paz, Mishima, Shalamov, Babel, W. C. Williams.) In these short shorts the time span is extremely brief, a few hours, maybe even a few minutes: Life is grasped in symbolic…” quote by Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg) > ““Let's press ahead a little further by sketching out a few variations among short shorts: ONE THRUST OF INCIDENT. (Examples: Paz, Mishima, Shalamov, Babel, W. C. Williams.) In these short shorts the time span is extremely brief, a few hours, maybe even a few minutes: Life is grasped in symbolic compression. One might say that these short shorts constitute epiphanies (climactic moments of high grace or realization) that have been tom out of their contexts. You have to supply the contexts yourself, since if the contexts were there, they'd no longer be short shorts. LIFE ROLLED UP. (Examples: Tolstoy's 'Alyosha the Pot,' Verga's 'The Wolf,' D. H. Lawrence's 'A Sick Collier.') In these you get the illusion of sustained narrative, since they deal with lives over an extended period of time; but actually these lives are so compressed into typicality and paradigm, the result seems very much like a single incident. Verga's 'Wolf' cannot but repeat her passions, Tolstoy's Alyosha his passivity. Themes of obsession work especially well in this kind of short short. SNAP-SHOT OR SINGLE FRAME. (Examples: Garda Marquez, Boll, Katherine Anne Porter.) In these we have no depicted event or incident, only an interior monologue or flow of memory. A voice speaks, as it were, into the air. A mind is revealed in cross-section - and the cut is rapid. One would guess that this is the hardest kind of short short to write: There are many pitfalls such as tiresome repetition, being locked into a single voice, etc. LIKE A FABLE. (Examples: Kafka, Keller, von Kleist, Tolstoy's 'Three Hermits.') Through its very concision, this kind of short short moves past realism. We are prodded into the fabulous, the strange, the spooky. To write this kind of fable-like short short, the writer needs a supreme self-confidence: The net of illusion can be cast only once. When we read such fable-like miniatures, we are prompted to speculate about significance, teased into shadowy parallels or semi allegories. There are also, however, some fables so beautifully complete (for instance Kafka's 'First Sorrow') that we find ourselves entirely content with the portrayed surface and may even take a certain pleasure in refusing interpretation. ("Introduction")”” [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short literary forms compress life into intense, symbolic moments, each with distinct techniques. **In simple terms:** Brief stories capture deep meaning in few words. Key Takeaway Use concise storytelling to convey powerful ideas. Themes literature form compression symbolism Mood analytical creative Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - flash fiction workshops - writing prompts - literary analysis Key Concepts narrative theory creative writing Questions to Reflect On - Which short‑form technique resonates most with you? - How can you avoid pitfalls like repetition? A Different Perspective Risk of oversimplification or loss of context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Examples Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examples-tolstoy-5460630/) [Flash-fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash-fiction/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Short Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-write-528472/) [Short Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-writer-335951/) [Short-fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-fiction/) [Shorts Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shorts-life-5460631/) ## Related quotes > [“The usual short story cannot have a complex plot, but it often has a simple one resembling a chain with two or three links.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-usual-short-story-cannot-have-a-complex-plot-but-it-often-has-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“There can't be much development of action or theme in such stories, but at least there is some. 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Often against civility too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/comedy-speaks-for-civilization-farce-bears-an-ill-concealed-sometimes/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [Good readers make much out of little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/good-readers-make-much-out-of-little/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [The knowledge that makes us cherish innocence makes innocence unattainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-knowledge-that-makes-us-cherish-innocence-makes-innocence/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [The message of guidance that neither politics nor philosophy nor religion now seems able to provide, we look for in modern literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-message-of-guidance-that-neither-politics-nor-philosophy-nor/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [No one has ever seen the self. 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One might say that these short shorts constitute epiphanies (climactic moments of high grace or realization) that have been tom out of their contexts. You have to supply the contexts yourself, since if the contexts were there, they'd no longer be short shorts. LIFE ROLLED UP. (Examples: Tolstoy's 'Alyosha the Pot,' Verga's 'The Wolf,' D. H. Lawrence's 'A Sick Collier.') In these you get the illusion of sustained narrative, since they deal with lives over an extended period of time; but actually these lives are so compressed into typicality and paradigm, the result seems very much like a single incident. Verga's 'Wolf' cannot but repeat her passions, Tolstoy's Alyosha his passivity. Themes of obsession work especially well in this kind of short short. SNAP-SHOT OR SINGLE FRAME. (Examples: Garda Marquez, Boll, Katherine Anne Porter.) In these we have no depicted event or incident, only an interior monologue or flow of memory. A voice speaks, as it were, into the air. A mind is revealed in cross-section - and the cut is rapid. One would guess that this is the hardest kind of short short to write: There are many pitfalls such as tiresome repetition, being locked into a single voice, etc. LIKE A FABLE. (Examples: Kafka, Keller, von Kleist, Tolstoy's 'Three Hermits.') Through its very concision, this kind of short short moves past realism. We are prodded into the fabulous, the strange, the spooky. To write this kind of fable-like short short, the writer needs a supreme self-confidence: The net of illusion can be cast only once. When we read such fable-like miniatures, we are prompted to speculate about significance, teased into shadowy parallels or semi allegories. There are also, however, some fables so beautifully complete (for instance Kafka's 'First Sorrow') that we find ourselves entirely content with the portrayed surface and may even take a certain pleasure in refusing interpretation. (\"Introduction\")”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irving Howe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sketching-out-a-few-variations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flash-fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sketching-out-a-few-variations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/irving-howe-27693_flash-fiction_let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sk_3117229.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let's press ahead a little further by sketching out a few variations among short shorts: ONE THRUST OF…” — Irving Howe", "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": "Irving Howe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Let's press ahead a little further...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sketching-out-a-few-variations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/let-s-press-ahead-a-little-further-by-sketching-out-a-few-variations/#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 } } ] } ```