The book examines lingo-stylistic and narratological characteristics of Montenegrin short stories in the crucial period of 19th and early 20th century language reform. The seldom analysed works of fourteen authors from this period are approached from the orthographical, phonological, morphological, syntaxic, lexical and phraseological angles in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the interplay between the alternating linguistic standards. The principal intent is not only to accentuate the so-far neglected contribution of Montenegrin writers to South-Slavic linguistic heritage in general, but also to facilitate the understanding of the interaction between the folk dialectical base and the emerging linguistic and literary tendencies of the age.