| List of Stories | [xv-xx] |
| Introduction | [xxi-xxvi] |
| Part 1. Narratives of Imaginary Events |
| Chapter I. The Primitive-Religious Group | [1-82] |
| I. Myth—Classes of myths: primitive-tribal and artificial-literary—Mythage not a past epoch—How traditionalmyths are collected—How original myths are composed—Differencebetween myth and allegory, and mythand legend—Working definition—List of mythologicaldeities: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hindu, Russian, Finnish,Norse, Filipino—Examples | [1] |
| II. Legend—Myth and legend compared—Saga—Saintlegends—Geoffrey of Monmouth—Legendary romance—Modernliterary legends—How to select and record alegend of growth—How to write a legend of art—Workingdefinition—Examples | [22] |
| III. Fairy Tale—Attitude toward fairy stories—Fundamentalcharacteristics of fairies—Northern fairies andtheir attributes—Some literary fairy tales—How to proceedto write a fairy tale—Summary definition—Partiallists of fairies of different countries: Northern, Irishand Scotch, Filipino, Russian, Arabian, and Miscellaneous—Examples | [43] |
| IV. Nursery Saga—Origin—The brothers Grimm—Englishnursery sagas—Distinguishing elements: kind ofhero, rhymes, repetition of situation, supernatural element—Afew specific suggestions—Working definition—Examples | [65] |
| Chapter II. Symbolic-Didactic Group | [83-127] |
| I. Fable—Æsop—Other early fabulists—"Hitopadesa"and "Panchatantra"—"Reynard the Fox" and bestiaries—Somemore writers of fables—Working definition—Classesof fables: rational, non-rational, mixed—Howto write an original fable—Maxims upon which fablesmay be built—Examples | [83] |
| II. Parable—Distinguishing characteristics—Tolstoy—Suggestionson writing a parable—Working definition—Alist of proverbs that might be expanded into parables—Examples | [101] |
| III. Allegory—Characteristics—Plato's "Vision ofEr"—Modern allegories—Some famous English allegories—Allegoryfable, and parable differentiated—Workingdefinition—How to write an allegory—Present-day interestin primitive types—Examples | [112] |
| Chapter III. Ingenious-Astonishing Group | [128-254] |
| I. Tale of Mere Wonder—Definition—Collections ofwonder stories, ancient and modern—Suggestions forwriting—Characteristic elements—Mediæval tales of chivalry—Heroicromances—Examples | [128] |
| II. Imaginary Voyage with a Satiric or InstructivePurpose—Distinguishing elements—Source of the type—Famousimaginary voyages—Suggestions on how to writea satiric imaginary voyage—Examples | [150] |
| III. Tale of Scientific Discovery and of MechanicalInvention—Relation to imaginary voyages—Essentialelements—Kind of stories included in this type—Suggestionson how to write the type—Examples | [194] |
| IV. The Detective Story and Other Tales of PurePlot—The detective story: connection with stories ofingenuity—Poe and Doyle—Other stories of plot—Romance—Afew suggestions—Examples | [225] |
| Chapter IV. The Entertaining Group | [255-344] |
| I. Tale of Probable Adventure—Characteristics anddefinition—How to write a probable adventure—A warning—Examples | [255] |
| II. The Society Story—Definition—Pastoral Romance—Suggestionson writing a society story—Examples | [277] |
| III. The Humorous Story—Definition—Fableaux—Picaresqueromance—Difference between a humorous storyand a comic anecdote—Examples | [299] |
| IV. The Occasional Story—The spirit of the occasionalstory—Its masters—Suggestions for subjects—Examples | [313] |
| Chapter V. The Instructive Group | [345-394] |
| I. The Moral Story—Differentiated from the symbolic-didacticgroup—Great authors who have written this type:Hawthorne, Johnson, Voltaire, Tolstoy, Cervantes—Whatto put in and what to leave out—Examples | [345] |
| II. The Pedagogical Narrative—Definition—Somefamous pedagogical books—Froebel—Examples | [361] |
| III. The Story of Present Day Realism—Whatrealism is—The realistic school—Suggestions on charactersto treat—Examples | [370] |
| Chapter VI. The Artistic Group: the Real Short-Story | [395-478] |
| I. The Psychological Weird Tale—Origin—TheSchool of Terror—Poe, Stevenson, Maupassant, and others—Suggestionson writing a weird tale—Material andmethod—Form—Examples | [398] |
| II. Story That Emphasizes Character and Environment—Kipling—MaryE. Wilkins Freeman—HamlinGarland—Bret Harte—Suggestions and precautions—The"Character": Overbury and Hall—Novel of Manners—Trollope'sCathedral Town Studies—Examples | [426] |
| III. Story That Emphasizes Character and Events—Differencebetween character-place story and character-eventsstory—Component elements of this type—A scrapbooksuggestion—Other suggestions—Examples | [455] |
| Part II. Narratives of Actual Events |
| Chapter VII. Particular Accounts | [479 -556] |
| I. Incident—Definition—How to tell an incident—Examples | [480] |
| II. Anecdote—Meaning of the term—Ana—Collection ofanecdotes—How to write an original anecdote—Examples | [490] |
| III. Eye-Witness Account—What it is and how towrite it—An ancient eye-witness account—Literary eyewitnessaccounts—Examples | [499] |
| IV. Tale of Actual Adventure—The one necessaryelement—Suggestions for writing—Examples | [512] |
| V. The Traveler's Sketch—What a traveler's sketchincludes—Great travel books—Fielding's gentle warning—Amotto for the narrator—Examples | [530] |
| Chapter VIII. Personal Accounts | [557-611] |
| I. Journal and Diary—The two distinguished—Therange of journals—"Vida del Gran Tamurlan"—Greatdiaries—How to write journal and diary—Examples | [557] |
| II. Autobiography and Memoirs—Distinction—Cellini,Franklin, and others—Selection and coherence—Examples | [572] |
| III. Biography—Beginning in England of literarybiography—Great biographies in English—Writer andsubject—Beginning, emphasis, and attitude—Outline fora life—Examples | [590] |
| Chapter IX. Impersonal Accounts | [612-645] |
| I. Annals—What annals are—Famous old annals—Stow—Suggestionson material—Examples | [613] |
| II. Chronicles—Definition—Froissart, Ayala, "GeneralChronicle of Spain"—Saxo Grammaticus—Holinshed—Truerelations—Examples | [626] |
| Bibliography | [647-660] |
| Index | [661-672] |