Returning to American literature, perhaps the best example of publishing smoke-and- mirrors, Ernest Hemingway's renowned The Old Man and the Sea (24,191) is generally referred to as a novel. However, it was first published in its entirety in the Sept. 1, 1952 issue of Lifemagazine, and in many ways fits the definition of a story better than that of a novel. It is clearly focused on one main character, Santiago, the old fisherman who is unable to catch a fish, and one main conflict, that being Santiago's need to land a big one. No matter the label -- short story or novel -- The Old Man and the Sea is truly an American gem worth studying.
