Micro-Fictional Structures in the Books of K. Jayathilaka : An Investigative Study

Abstract

This research focuses on a new genre of Sinhala short stories. This genre known by different names like 'Micro-fiction', 'Flash Fiction', 'Very Short Story' etc. is known as 'Micro Fiction Short Stories' in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this research is to investigate the micro-fictional patterns found in the books of K. Jayathilaka (1926-2011). The research problems here are whether micro-fictional forms are found in K. Jayathilaka's books, and whether there are stylistic differences between his early and later micro-fictions. Here, I use the five books written by K.Jayathilaka, Vyanga (1960), Kudugoth Rachana (1992), Athpasuru(2010), Sankalpana (2011), and Niribatha (2011). Additionally, collected information through the interviews conducted with several scholars who were academically focused on these books, and the data analyzed to come to the final conclusions. Considering the evolution of the Sinhala micro-fiction short story, the first book I found was Vyanga written together with Mahagama Sekara. It has been revealed in his later books and said his attention has been focused on this small type of prose. Compared to Sinhala short stories, the format of micro-fiction is different. Here, the action, characters, background, period, intertextuality, and end are different. When compare K. Jayathilaka's micro-fictions with other writers, I could conclude that the word limit has been very special. The allegorical form of his and Mahagama sekara’s book Vyanga is not found in the later books. There are stylistic diversity between K. Jayathilaka’s early and later micro-fictions. Some stories use dramatic dialogues, character patterns and mathematical symbols. According to these facts, it can be concluded that micro-fiction forms are found in K. Jayathilaka’s books, and that there are clear differences between his early and later microfictions.