Say I'm writing a story and I want to emulate the old practice of referring to proper nouns by initials: i.e. Dr. M— from the town of S—. Where and when did this start? Why did they do this? (It hides the person's name, but from the author's perspective, is it to give his story an air of veracity, as with Defoe and Cervantes's works?) Would some names remain hidden and others not? Do I hide the last name only? If a man came from Monte Cristo, would I write M— C— or simply M—? I want as much information on this as possible. The name of this practice, if there is one, might be useful.
posted by Busoni on Apr 7, 2009 - 13 answers

Need help remembering an old story. I think Joseph Conrad wrote it, but I'm not finding anything with the searches. Here are my dreamlike recollections: gist of the story is about a bottle or a box full of money (?). Each owner of the box/bottle has their wishes granted, but has to pass the box to someone else. The last person with the box/bottle goes to hell (or something?). I think I remember one of the characters in the story building a house on a hill in a tropical location. Help?
posted by Slacker Manager on Apr 5, 2008 - 6 answers

Short-story filter: contemporary American story with a scene of a baby boy whose father cruelly dangles a pocketwatch just out of reach so as to get the boy used to disappointment. [more inside]
posted by headnsouth on Mar 5, 2008 - 3 answers

Please help me find the name and author of a short story I read in The New Yorker within the last five years or so. The premise of the story is a teacher at a prep school in Manhattan is brought home by one of his students because she has decided he's the person she is going to marry. Toward the end of the story, the girl's father punches the teacher in the stomach unexpectedly. I believe the story won some awards.
posted by pasici on Feb 7, 2008 - 25 answers

Help me remember the name of this short story (or novel that includes this story): A housecleaner's employer tells her she can keep all the change she finds when she cleans his office. She ends up with a jar of change containing more than one hundred dollars, and the employer reneges his offer. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by jiiota on Jul 14, 2007 - 6 answers

What is the story I've been trying to remember? It's about a future where everyone who excels is handicapped by the state. [more inside]
posted by BlackLeotardFront on Apr 9, 2007 - 13 answers

The Protagonist: What can you tell me? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Jun 8, 2006 - 17 answers

Has anyone written and published very brief, dense prose works akin to Borges' ficciones, and are they any good? [more inside]
posted by jack_mo on May 16, 2006 - 17 answers

Fiction usually comes in two flavours: 1st person narrative or 3rd person description. What short stories or novels have been written in 2nd person perspective (i.e. from the reader's viewpoint)? Also, are there any movies shot entirely from this angle?
posted by 0bvious on Jan 17, 2006 - 63 answers