Most critics agree that these stories served as models for the modern American short story and that both tales introduced imagery and archetypes that enriched the national literature (Bylington, 217).
请问:short 后面的 story 是否要变为复数?
这里的 short story 之所以没有用复数,是因为其前用了定冠词,如果用了复数,则可能让人误解为是某些美国小说。如果这里去掉定冠词,则必须要用复数。比较:
the modern American short story 概括地指整个当代美国小说
the modern American short stories 特指某些当代美国小说
modern American short stories 泛指所有的当代美国小说