Controversies Underlying the Genre of Short Story: A Critique of Perceptions on Kiswahili Written Short Story

Abstract

The genre of short stories has been viewed by scholars as being very controversial and conflicting (e.g. Msokile 1992; Madumula 2009; Samwel 2012). The debates are on proper way of defining short stories, their classification with supporting examples, and their actual distinctive features. This paper, though acknowledges a need to analyze literature into genres and even sub-genres, shows how controversial a genre of short stories can be. It mainly focuses on controversies pertaining to short story as a genre of Kiswahili literature. It presents varied perceptions of various scholars on issues related to Kiswahili written short story. It also presents the “best” way of resolving the controversies.