In recent years, the short story has undergone a renaissance both in Ireland and abroad. Often overshadowed by the novel in contemporary literary culture, the narrative peculiarities of the short story continue to fascinate both writers and the readers. Reading a selection of Irish, British and American short stories, this (aptly) brief course examines the development of the genre from its origins in oral story-telling to its modernist and post-modernist incarnations.  In particular, the course examines the purchase of the short story form in the American and Irish literary traditions, exploring how the genre was theorised by some of its key practitioners (Poe, Joyce, Hemmingway) and also how the short story form can be read in relation to socio-political environments which motivate it. The course introduces students to some of the most influential brief fiction and short story writers of the past 100 years, and guides students in developing modes of analysis which will greatly enrich their reading, and enjoyment, of this compelling narrative form.