The Vertical Context of Contemporary British Short Prose

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of vertical context in contemporary British short prose as the necessary prerequisite for the appreciation and accurate interpretation of fiction. The paper focuses on the socio-historical and philological vertical context of the short stories by contemporary British writers, which comprise Volumes I and II of “Story Time. Contemporary British Short Stories in the EFL Classroom”, a series of textbooks for tertiary education. The paper highlights realia, toponyms, anthroponyms, textual elements referring to characters’ social background and allusions as the most significant categories of vertical context. The authors draw the conclusion that the study of vertical context is of primary importance for achieving adequate understanding of literary texts and thus needs to be taught through practical assignments designed for students reading contemporary prose. They also comment on the current trend that consists in the restructuring of vertical context by shifting from allusions to classics to alluding to contemporary mass culture, quoting contemporary precedent names and titles.