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The Oxford Book of American Short Stories
"How ironic," Joyce Carol Oates writes in her introduction to this marvelous collection, "that in our age of rapid mass-production and the easy proliferation of consumer products, the richness and diversity of the American literary imagination should be so misrepresented in most anthologies." Why, she asks, when writers such as Samuel Clemens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty, Flannery O'Connor, Saul Bellow, and John Updike have among them written hundreds of short stories, do anthologists settle on the same two or three titles by each author again and again? "Isn't the implicit promise of an anthology that it will, or aspires to, present something different, unexpected?"
In The Oxford Book of American Short Stories , Joyce Carol Oates offers a sweeping survey of American short fiction, in a collection of fifty-six tales that combines classic works with many "different, unexpected" gems, and that invites readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers. Some selections simply can't be improved on, Oates admits, and she happily includes such time-honored works as Irving's "Rip Van Winkle," Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," and Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." But alongside these classics, Oates introduces such little-known stories as Mark Twain's "Cannibalism in the Cars," a story that reveals a darker side to his humor ("That morning we had Morgan of Alabama for breakfast. He was one of the finest men I ever sat down to...a perfect gentleman, and singularly juicy"). From Melville come the juxtaposed tales "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids," of which Oates says, "Only Melville could have fashioned out of 'real' events...such harrowing and dreamlike allegorical fiction." From Flannery O'Connor we find "A Late Encounter With the Enemy," and from John Cheever, "The Death of Justina," one of Cheever's own favorites, though rarely anthologized. The reader will also delight in the range of authors found here, from Charles W. Chesnutt, Jean Toomer, and Sarah Orne Jewett, to William Carlos Williams, Kate Chopin, and Zora Neale Hurston. Contemporary artists abound, including Bharati Mukherjee and Amy Tan, Alice Adams and David Leavitt, Bobbie Ann Mason and Tim O'Brien, Louise Erdrich and John Edgar Wideman. Oates provides fascinating introductions to each writer, blending biographical information with her own trenchant observations about their work, plus a long introductory essay, in which she offers the fruit of years of reflection on a genre in which she herself is a master.
This then is a book of surprises, a fascinating portrait of American short fiction, as filtered through the sensibility of a major modern writer.
In The Oxford Book of American Short Stories , Joyce Carol Oates offers a sweeping survey of American short fiction, in a collection of fifty-six tales that combines classic works with many "different, unexpected" gems, and that invites readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers. Some selections simply can't be improved on, Oates admits, and she happily includes such time-honored works as Irving's "Rip Van Winkle," Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," and Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place." But alongside these classics, Oates introduces such little-known stories as Mark Twain's "Cannibalism in the Cars," a story that reveals a darker side to his humor ("That morning we had Morgan of Alabama for breakfast. He was one of the finest men I ever sat down to...a perfect gentleman, and singularly juicy"). From Melville come the juxtaposed tales "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids," of which Oates says, "Only Melville could have fashioned out of 'real' events...such harrowing and dreamlike allegorical fiction." From Flannery O'Connor we find "A Late Encounter With the Enemy," and from John Cheever, "The Death of Justina," one of Cheever's own favorites, though rarely anthologized. The reader will also delight in the range of authors found here, from Charles W. Chesnutt, Jean Toomer, and Sarah Orne Jewett, to William Carlos Williams, Kate Chopin, and Zora Neale Hurston. Contemporary artists abound, including Bharati Mukherjee and Amy Tan, Alice Adams and David Leavitt, Bobbie Ann Mason and Tim O'Brien, Louise Erdrich and John Edgar Wideman. Oates provides fascinating introductions to each writer, blending biographical information with her own trenchant observations about their work, plus a long introductory essay, in which she offers the fruit of years of reflection on a genre in which she herself is a master.
This then is a book of surprises, a fascinating portrait of American short fiction, as filtered through the sensibility of a major modern writer.
784 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
171 people are currently reading
1522 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
854 books9,624 followersJoyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
June 29, 2021
A collection of short stories with the theme of mystery and suspense, although not all of them seemed to fit into that genre. The stories are presented in chronological order, starting with Washington Irving and including such talents as John Cheever, Amy Tan, Ray Bradbury, and Langston Hughes. I was unaware that some of the authors represented had written stories mystery/suspense and I was also unfamiliar with several of the writers. I was surprised to see some authors, famous in this genre, were omitted but it introduced me to others that probably need more attention.
As in any collection, there were good stories and those not so enjoyable and I must admit that I skipped some of them. But I think we all do that in a large collection........don't we? It is a large tome but worth the read.
As in any collection, there were good stories and those not so enjoyable and I must admit that I skipped some of them. But I think we all do that in a large collection........don't we? It is a large tome but worth the read.
August 9, 2022
This 1992 publication is a comprehensive anthology of 59 short stories from over 50 of the best-loved and talented American writers in the genre, edited, and contributed to, by the immense and prolific author Joyce Carol Oates. Sadly, the majority of these authors are no longer with us but their legacy lives on in their work and will contribute to readers' enjoyment for many generations to come.
Starting with the inimitable Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving, the reader is treated to a panoply of great stories from the likes of Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, Ray Bradbury, Saul Bellow, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Amy Tan and Louise Erdrich, to name but a few, written throughout the 19th and 20th century. There are also several authors I was not familiar with - some of these I will be looking out for in the future in order to read more of their works!
This is a lengthy anthology - 764 pages including the editor's introduction - and I have been dipping into it now for over a year but thoroughly enjoying the many and varied stories when I have done so. The contributors are also varied, including Jewish, African-American, Latin American, Native American and White American with genres ranging from historical to dystopian and contemporary to science fiction and folk tales. An excellent read overall, a great compilation with interesting pen-pics of the authors giving brief biographies and other works to consider - 9/10.
Starting with the inimitable Rip van Winkle by Washington Irving, the reader is treated to a panoply of great stories from the likes of Herman Melville, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, Ray Bradbury, Saul Bellow, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Amy Tan and Louise Erdrich, to name but a few, written throughout the 19th and 20th century. There are also several authors I was not familiar with - some of these I will be looking out for in the future in order to read more of their works!
This is a lengthy anthology - 764 pages including the editor's introduction - and I have been dipping into it now for over a year but thoroughly enjoying the many and varied stories when I have done so. The contributors are also varied, including Jewish, African-American, Latin American, Native American and White American with genres ranging from historical to dystopian and contemporary to science fiction and folk tales. An excellent read overall, a great compilation with interesting pen-pics of the authors giving brief biographies and other works to consider - 9/10.
July 5, 2023
Oates's core method of selection—to choose unfamiliar and not typically anthologized stories from the usual suspects—deserves praise. I think her selection of her story "Heat" to represent herself in this canon is fascinating and in keeping with this remark from her introductory essay: "Discord, then, and not harmony, is the subject our writers share in common. Though the quelling of discord and the re-establishment of harmony, may well be the point of art." Good broadening anthology to have (or use as textbook) because few of the stories will have appeared in similar anthologies, of which there are many.
November 4, 2025
Nov. 4, 2025
I have spent the last 2 weeks reading another batch of isolated (not collections) short stories. I will post them here, along with my ratings.
Louise Erdrich, The Red Convertible (1974) [6-]
Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We (1981) [6-]
[cp. G. Harvey on Gordon Lish’ editing in NYRB (2010)]
Deesha Philyaw, “Peach Cobbler” (2020) [5.5]
Percival Everett, The Appropriation of Cultures (2004) [5.5]
Sandra Cisneros, Women Hollering Creek (1991) [5.5]
J. C. Oates, Where You Going, Where You Been? (1966) [5.5]
Damon Runyon, Romance in the Roaring Forties (1929) [5.5]
Damon Runyon, Dark Dolores (1929) [5.5]
Dorothy Parker, Arrangement in Black and White (1927) [5.5]
Truman Capote, Miriam (1945; O. Henry award: creepy) [5+]
Lawrence Block, A Candle for the Bag Lady (1977) [5]
John Cheever, The Swimmer (1964) [5]
Silvina Ocampo, “Mimosa” (1959) [5]
Raymond Chandler, Red Wind (1938) [5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Babylon Revisited (1931) [5]
David Goodis, “The Plunge” (1958) [4.5]
Truman Capote, Master Misery (1949) - weak ending [4.5]
J. D. Salinger, A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948) [4.5]
O. Henry, The Last Leaf (4; 1907) [4.5]
O. Henry: Gift of the Magi (7; 1905) [4.5]
Mariana Enriquez, “Things We Lost in the Fire” (2016) [4+]
Truman Capote, A Tree of Night (1949) [4+]
O. Henry, The Cop and the Anthem (1904) [4+]
Mariana Enriquez, “The Dirty Boy” [4]
Juno Díaz, Drown (1996) [4]
Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants (1927) [4]
Donald Barthelme, A Shower of Gold (1963) [PoMo] [4-]
James M. Cain, “Dead Man" (1936) [4-]
---------------------
June 2025
I had committed to reading the middle 40% (26 stories; see the original list below). Instead, I read 37 stories, adding some that were not in this volume, and skipping a few that *were* in this volume. A few of these I already knew well (and have actually taught):
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Winter Dreams” (1922) [6-]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “An Alcoholic Case” (1937) [5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Babylon Revisited” (1931) [4.5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Lost Decade” (1939) [3.5]
William Carlos Williams, “The Use of Force” (1938) [3.5]
William Carlos Williams, “The Girl w/ a Pimply Face” (1934) [3]
Katherine Anne Porter, “Noon Wine” (1937) [4+]
Katherine Anne Porter, “Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (1930) [4]
Katherine Anne Porter, “He” (1927) [3.5]
William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” (1930) [6]
William Faulkner, “Dry September” (1931) [4]
William Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (1931) [3.5]
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (1926) [—]
Nella Larsen, “The Wrong Man” (1926) [4.5]
Nella Larsen, “Freedom,” (1926) [3.5]
Nella Larsen, “Sanctuary” (1930) [4.5]
Langston Hughes, “Home” (1934) [6-]
Langston Hughes, “Slave on the Block” (1934) [5.5]
Langston Hughes, “Red-Headed Baby” (1934) [5+]
Langston Hughes, “Passing” (1934) [5]
Langston Hughes, “Cora Unashamed” (1934) [4+]
Richard Wright, “Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1940) [—]
Paul Bowles, “A Distant Episode” (1947) [6-]
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1953) [6]
Flannery O’Connor, “Late Encounter w/ the Enemy” (1953) [3]
James Baldwin, “Sonny's Blues” (1957) [6]
Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” (1947) [—]
Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950) [—]
Peter Taylor, “Rain in the Heart” (1945) [—]
Eudora Welty, “The Petrified Man” (1939) [5+]
Eudora Welty, “Why I live at the P.O.” (1941) [4+]
Eudora Welty, “A Curtain of Green” (1941) [4]
Eudora Welty, “Where Is the Voice Coming From?“ (1963) [3.5]
Issac Bashevis Singer, “The Lecture” (1967) [4+]
Bernard Malamud, “My Son the Murderer” (1968) [3]
Saul Bellow, “Something To Remember Me By” (1991) [4.5]
John Cheever, “Goodbye, My Brother” (1951) [6]
John Cheever, “The Death of Justina” (1960) [6-]
John Cheever, “The Swimmer” (1964) [4.5]
Ursula K. Le Guin, “Texts” (1990) [—]
Donald Barthelme, “The School” (1974) [—]
John Updike, “The Persistence of Desire” (1959) [—]
Alice Adams, “Alaska” (1984) [—]
Raymond Carver, “Are These Actual Miles?” (1988) [—]
Leslie Marmon Silko, “Yellow Woman” (1993) [—]
Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” (1980) [5+]
Cynthia Ozick, “Rosa” (1983) [3.5]
Joyce Carol Oates, “Heat” (1991) [5.5]
_________________________
Original comments
The first 40% — which I’ll skip (some I’ve already read, of course) — include the following stories:
Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” (1819)
William Austin, “Peter Rugg, the Missing Man” (1824)
Nathaniel Hawthorn, “The Wives of the Dead” (1831)
Herman Melville, “Paradise of Bachelors/Tartarus of Maids”(1855)
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Ghost in the Mill” (1870)
Mark Twain, “Cannibalism in the Cars” (1868)
Sarah Orne Jewett, “A White Heron” (1886)
Kate Chopin, “The Storm” (1898)
Charles Chesnutt, “The Sheriff's Children” (1889)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892)
Henry James, “The Middle Years” (1893)
Jack London, “In a Far Country” (1899)
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, “Old Woman Magoun” (1905)
Stephen Crane, “The Little Regiment” (1896)
Edith Wharton, “A Journey” (1899)
Sherwood Anderson, “The Strength of God” (1919)
Willa Cather, “A Death in the Desert” (1903)
Jean Toomer, “Blood-Burning Moon” (1923)
Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933)
The last 20% — which I’ll also skip — are:
Tobias Wolff, “Hunters in the Snow”
Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried”
Bobbie Ann Mason, “Big Bertha Stories”
John Edgar Wideman, “Fever”
Bharati Mukherje, “The Management of Grief”
Amy Tan, “Two Kinds”
Louise Erdrich, “Fleur”
David Leavitt, “Gravity”
Sandra Cisneros
“The House on Mango Street”
“What Sally Said”
“Linoleum Roses”
“A House of My Own”
Pickney Benedict, “Town Smokes”
I’ve read some of the above.
The middle 40% (1926 — 1993) which I’ll rank after I’ve read in them — are:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “An Alcoholic Case” (1937)
William Carlos Williams, “Girl w/ a Pimply Face” (1934)
Katherine Anne Porter, “He” (1927)
William Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (1931)
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (1926)
Langston Hughes, “Red-Headed Baby” (1934)
Richard Wright, “Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1940)
Paul Bowles, “A Distant Episode” (1947)
Flannery O’Connor, “Late Encounter w/ Enemy” (1953)
James Baldwin, “Sonny's Blues” (1957)
Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” (1947)
Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950)
Peter Taylor, “Rain in the Heart” (1945)
Eudora Welty, “Where Is the Voice Coming From?“ (1963)
Issac Bashevis Singer, “The Lecture” (1967)
Bernard Malamud, “My Son the Murderer” (1968)
Saul Bellow, “Something To Remember Me By” (1991)
John Cheever, “The Death of Justina” (1960)
Ursula K. Le Guin, “Texts” (1990)
Donald Barthelme, “The School” (1974)
John Updike, “The Persistence of Desire” (1959)
Alice Adams, “Alaska” (1984)
Raymond Carver, “Are These Actual Miles?” (1988)
Leslie Marmon Silko, “Yellow Woman” (1993)
Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” (1980)
Joyce Carol Oates, “Heat” (1991)
I have spent the last 2 weeks reading another batch of isolated (not collections) short stories. I will post them here, along with my ratings.
Louise Erdrich, The Red Convertible (1974) [6-]
Raymond Carver, What We Talk About When We (1981) [6-]
[cp. G. Harvey on Gordon Lish’ editing in NYRB (2010)]
Deesha Philyaw, “Peach Cobbler” (2020) [5.5]
Percival Everett, The Appropriation of Cultures (2004) [5.5]
Sandra Cisneros, Women Hollering Creek (1991) [5.5]
J. C. Oates, Where You Going, Where You Been? (1966) [5.5]
Damon Runyon, Romance in the Roaring Forties (1929) [5.5]
Damon Runyon, Dark Dolores (1929) [5.5]
Dorothy Parker, Arrangement in Black and White (1927) [5.5]
Truman Capote, Miriam (1945; O. Henry award: creepy) [5+]
Lawrence Block, A Candle for the Bag Lady (1977) [5]
John Cheever, The Swimmer (1964) [5]
Silvina Ocampo, “Mimosa” (1959) [5]
Raymond Chandler, Red Wind (1938) [5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Babylon Revisited (1931) [5]
David Goodis, “The Plunge” (1958) [4.5]
Truman Capote, Master Misery (1949) - weak ending [4.5]
J. D. Salinger, A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948) [4.5]
O. Henry, The Last Leaf (4; 1907) [4.5]
O. Henry: Gift of the Magi (7; 1905) [4.5]
Mariana Enriquez, “Things We Lost in the Fire” (2016) [4+]
Truman Capote, A Tree of Night (1949) [4+]
O. Henry, The Cop and the Anthem (1904) [4+]
Mariana Enriquez, “The Dirty Boy” [4]
Juno Díaz, Drown (1996) [4]
Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants (1927) [4]
Donald Barthelme, A Shower of Gold (1963) [PoMo] [4-]
James M. Cain, “Dead Man" (1936) [4-]
---------------------
June 2025
I had committed to reading the middle 40% (26 stories; see the original list below). Instead, I read 37 stories, adding some that were not in this volume, and skipping a few that *were* in this volume. A few of these I already knew well (and have actually taught):
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Winter Dreams” (1922) [6-]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “An Alcoholic Case” (1937) [5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Babylon Revisited” (1931) [4.5]
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Lost Decade” (1939) [3.5]
William Carlos Williams, “The Use of Force” (1938) [3.5]
William Carlos Williams, “The Girl w/ a Pimply Face” (1934) [3]
Katherine Anne Porter, “Noon Wine” (1937) [4+]
Katherine Anne Porter, “Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (1930) [4]
Katherine Anne Porter, “He” (1927) [3.5]
William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” (1930) [6]
William Faulkner, “Dry September” (1931) [4]
William Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (1931) [3.5]
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (1926) [—]
Nella Larsen, “The Wrong Man” (1926) [4.5]
Nella Larsen, “Freedom,” (1926) [3.5]
Nella Larsen, “Sanctuary” (1930) [4.5]
Langston Hughes, “Home” (1934) [6-]
Langston Hughes, “Slave on the Block” (1934) [5.5]
Langston Hughes, “Red-Headed Baby” (1934) [5+]
Langston Hughes, “Passing” (1934) [5]
Langston Hughes, “Cora Unashamed” (1934) [4+]
Richard Wright, “Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1940) [—]
Paul Bowles, “A Distant Episode” (1947) [6-]
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (1953) [6]
Flannery O’Connor, “Late Encounter w/ the Enemy” (1953) [3]
James Baldwin, “Sonny's Blues” (1957) [6]
Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” (1947) [—]
Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950) [—]
Peter Taylor, “Rain in the Heart” (1945) [—]
Eudora Welty, “The Petrified Man” (1939) [5+]
Eudora Welty, “Why I live at the P.O.” (1941) [4+]
Eudora Welty, “A Curtain of Green” (1941) [4]
Eudora Welty, “Where Is the Voice Coming From?“ (1963) [3.5]
Issac Bashevis Singer, “The Lecture” (1967) [4+]
Bernard Malamud, “My Son the Murderer” (1968) [3]
Saul Bellow, “Something To Remember Me By” (1991) [4.5]
John Cheever, “Goodbye, My Brother” (1951) [6]
John Cheever, “The Death of Justina” (1960) [6-]
John Cheever, “The Swimmer” (1964) [4.5]
Ursula K. Le Guin, “Texts” (1990) [—]
Donald Barthelme, “The School” (1974) [—]
John Updike, “The Persistence of Desire” (1959) [—]
Alice Adams, “Alaska” (1984) [—]
Raymond Carver, “Are These Actual Miles?” (1988) [—]
Leslie Marmon Silko, “Yellow Woman” (1993) [—]
Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” (1980) [5+]
Cynthia Ozick, “Rosa” (1983) [3.5]
Joyce Carol Oates, “Heat” (1991) [5.5]
_________________________
Original comments
The first 40% — which I’ll skip (some I’ve already read, of course) — include the following stories:
Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” (1819)
William Austin, “Peter Rugg, the Missing Man” (1824)
Nathaniel Hawthorn, “The Wives of the Dead” (1831)
Herman Melville, “Paradise of Bachelors/Tartarus of Maids”(1855)
Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843)
Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Ghost in the Mill” (1870)
Mark Twain, “Cannibalism in the Cars” (1868)
Sarah Orne Jewett, “A White Heron” (1886)
Kate Chopin, “The Storm” (1898)
Charles Chesnutt, “The Sheriff's Children” (1889)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892)
Henry James, “The Middle Years” (1893)
Jack London, “In a Far Country” (1899)
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, “Old Woman Magoun” (1905)
Stephen Crane, “The Little Regiment” (1896)
Edith Wharton, “A Journey” (1899)
Sherwood Anderson, “The Strength of God” (1919)
Willa Cather, “A Death in the Desert” (1903)
Jean Toomer, “Blood-Burning Moon” (1923)
Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (1933)
The last 20% — which I’ll also skip — are:
Tobias Wolff, “Hunters in the Snow”
Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried”
Bobbie Ann Mason, “Big Bertha Stories”
John Edgar Wideman, “Fever”
Bharati Mukherje, “The Management of Grief”
Amy Tan, “Two Kinds”
Louise Erdrich, “Fleur”
David Leavitt, “Gravity”
Sandra Cisneros
“The House on Mango Street”
“What Sally Said”
“Linoleum Roses”
“A House of My Own”
Pickney Benedict, “Town Smokes”
I’ve read some of the above.
The middle 40% (1926 — 1993) which I’ll rank after I’ve read in them — are:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “An Alcoholic Case” (1937)
William Carlos Williams, “Girl w/ a Pimply Face” (1934)
Katherine Anne Porter, “He” (1927)
William Faulkner, “That Evening Sun” (1931)
Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat” (1926)
Langston Hughes, “Red-Headed Baby” (1934)
Richard Wright, “Man Who Was Almost a Man” (1940)
Paul Bowles, “A Distant Episode” (1947)
Flannery O’Connor, “Late Encounter w/ Enemy” (1953)
James Baldwin, “Sonny's Blues” (1957)
Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” (1947)
Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950)
Peter Taylor, “Rain in the Heart” (1945)
Eudora Welty, “Where Is the Voice Coming From?“ (1963)
Issac Bashevis Singer, “The Lecture” (1967)
Bernard Malamud, “My Son the Murderer” (1968)
Saul Bellow, “Something To Remember Me By” (1991)
John Cheever, “The Death of Justina” (1960)
Ursula K. Le Guin, “Texts” (1990)
Donald Barthelme, “The School” (1974)
John Updike, “The Persistence of Desire” (1959)
Alice Adams, “Alaska” (1984)
Raymond Carver, “Are These Actual Miles?” (1988)
Leslie Marmon Silko, “Yellow Woman” (1993)
Cynthia Ozick, “The Shawl” (1980)
Joyce Carol Oates, “Heat” (1991)
June 6, 2017
I finally did it! I feel incredibly accomplished haha
It's a great collection that introduced me to new (to me) authors and reminded me of some favorites. Really recommend this especially if you've already read a bunch of what's considered the core classics of short stories. This offers alternative stories by some of the most well-known authors that often get overlooked in favor of their most famous works. I really enjoyed my journey through this beast of a book.
It's a great collection that introduced me to new (to me) authors and reminded me of some favorites. Really recommend this especially if you've already read a bunch of what's considered the core classics of short stories. This offers alternative stories by some of the most well-known authors that often get overlooked in favor of their most famous works. I really enjoyed my journey through this beast of a book.
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February 18, 2025
preread
I checked this out to read "the yellow wallpaper" specifically, but it was so good I am going to read the rest!
I checked this out to read "the yellow wallpaper" specifically, but it was so good I am going to read the rest!
May 17, 2012
Finally! I began reading this book quite a while ago and am happy to report that I've finished. Overall, I was curious to see the evolution of short story writing in America from its dawning to the late 1980's. I have to admit, I didn't begin to enjoy the stories until I read the ones that came after the Civil War. The stories I thought were most exceptional--in voice, in language, in characterization--were written during or after the Harlem Renaissance. These stories include:
"Heat" by Joyce Carol Oates
"Where Is the Voice Coming From?" by Eudora Welty
"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
"My Son the Murderer" by Bernard Malamud
"Battle Royal" by Ralph Elison
"Something to Remember Me By" by Saul Bellow
"Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff
"The Girl with the Pimply Face" by William Carlos Williams
"Red-Headed Baby" by Langston Hughes
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway
"Heat" by Joyce Carol Oates
"Where Is the Voice Coming From?" by Eudora Welty
"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
"My Son the Murderer" by Bernard Malamud
"Battle Royal" by Ralph Elison
"Something to Remember Me By" by Saul Bellow
"Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff
"The Girl with the Pimply Face" by William Carlos Williams
"Red-Headed Baby" by Langston Hughes
"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway
Read
October 20, 2015A cool (not-so) little anthology, curated by Joyce Carol Oates. I'm not gonna give it a star-rating, because I never know how to rate anthologies, but it's certainly good reading. Oates put together a collection of little-known stories by America's most well-known writers, from Edgar Allen Poe to Junot Diaz. My only real complaint is that Oates made the odd choice of including her own work in the collection, putting her story alongside Hemingway's and Carver's. You have to laugh a little at a stunt like that.
December 11, 2020
« میخواهم برایت خاطره باشد»
مجموعه ده داستان از نویسندگان امریکایی، ، ادگار آلن پو، ارنست همینگوی، توبیاس وولف، جان آپدایک، ری بردبری، جان چیور، سال بلو و دیگران است.که جویس کرول اوتس از نویسندگان مطرح حال حاضر امریکا گردآوری کردهاست. وي پیش از شروع هر داستان، معرفی کوتاه و جامعی از هر نویسنده آورده و خواننده را در فضای داستان قرار داده است.
بخشی از داستان كوتاه گرما،اثر خود جويس كرول:
وسط تابستان بود. موج گرما کف سنگی خیابانها را فرا گرفته بود. فریاد سیرسیرکها از میان شاخوبرگ درختان به گوش میرسید و آسمان چون آلیاژی از قلع و سرب میدرخشید.
انگار همهی روز همان روز بودند؛ مثل آب گلآلود رودخانهی کمعمقی که همیشه در یک مسیر جاری بود ولی آنقدر کند که دیده نمیشد، به جز یکشنبهها، اول صبح کلیسا، بعد روزنامهی پرحجم یکشنبه، صفحات طنز و مصور رنگی و خبرها زیر انگشتانتان.
ریا و رودا کانکل با دوچرخههای کهنه و زنگزدهشان از راه طولانی تپه به سوی محوطهی راهآهن سرازیر شدند؛ به چراگاه پوشیده از خار گاوهای شیرده که ویپلز آیس نام داشت. از مادربزرگ که دوستشان داشت شش دلار کش رفته بودند. یازده سال داشتند، دوقلوهای همسان بودند و از جاذبهی خود لذت میبردند.
ریا و رودا کانکل. همیشه میگفتند ریا و رودا، نه رودا و ریا؛ نمیدانستم چرا. هیچکس نامهایشان را طور دیگری نمیگفت؛ حتی دبیران مدرسه.
برای دیدنشان به بنگاه برگزار کنندهی مراسم ترحیم، آن جا که هر دو را توی تابوت گذاشته بودند رفتیم، مجبور بودیم. دوقلوها در تابوتهای یکسان، سفید، نرم، صاف و درخشان، مثل پلاستیک خفته بودند، با آستر ساتن سفید که مثل داخل جعبهی آبنبات لوکس چین خورده بود و سوسنهای سفید مومی و بوی عطر و پودر تالک. اتاق شلوغ بود و برای رفتوآمد یک راه بیشتر وجود نداشت. انگار ریا و رودا هردو یک دختر بودند، آنها اینطور میخواستند. تنها وقتی از یکی به دیگری نظر میکردی، میفهمیدی که دو نفرند.
گرما انگار وزن داشت؛ باید راهت را از میانش باز میکردی، مثل شنا کردن. اما ریا و رودا روی دوچرخهها از خانهی مادربزرگ در خیابان مین تا آخر مین جنوبی، آنجا که خیابان آسفات به جادهی خاکی تبدیل میشد و از شهر بیرون میرفت، بیتوجه به گرما پا میزدند. تابستان پیش از رفتن به کلاس هفتم بود، همان تابستانی که درگذشتند. مرگ در جستوجویشان بود اما آنها نمیدانستند.
December 3, 2025
Hey, I read most of 'em! Might even go back and read all of 'em, if I feel particularly tickled. So tricky troggle of Joyce Carol Oates to put her own story in there, she's such a little prankster!! Can't take her anywhere!!
September 9, 2009
I
am
finished...
finally.
I read this book over the course of several years in between novels. After teaching American Literature for 5 years a while back, I enjoyed reading a few old favorites, but mostly being exposed to new stuff. Although there were a couple that were hard to get through, most of the stories were great, with standouts from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Louise Erdrich.
am
finished...
finally.
I read this book over the course of several years in between novels. After teaching American Literature for 5 years a while back, I enjoyed reading a few old favorites, but mostly being exposed to new stuff. Although there were a couple that were hard to get through, most of the stories were great, with standouts from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Louise Erdrich.
May 3, 2018
an anthology of "canon" literature full of over-read, over-analyzed short stories. needed it for a college course.
March 30, 2020
This is a great collection, well chosen, with up to a page of illuminating intro to each story from the editor. The stories span a couple of centuries, with writers I knew well and others I'd never heard of, classic tales (The Tell-Tale Heart, The Yellow Wallpaper) and ones wholly obscure. There's a 13-page introduction and an author index, with the stories arranged chronologically.
There is great variety in setting, theme and language, reflecting the history and breadth of America as a land and a society. I read The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories a few years ago, and despite a few stand-out pieces, my overriding impression was of cramped, grey, repetitive tales (perhaps a fair reflection of Britain!). The present volume is, refreshingly, the complete opposite. A particular strength is the inclusion of numerous stories in regional vernacular that immerse the reader not only in a place and time but a way of seeing the world.
The Melville story here continues to haunt me, an elusive and enigmatic thing that seems to speak at a tangent to its surface events. The Henry James was sobering, the Twain hilarious. There were so many more that stuck in my mind, even if I've lost track of names and titles.
I would have welcomed more of a nod to science fiction, a form that thrives on short stories, and in the US; and an opportunity to rectify this in the work of Ursula Le Guin was, I felt, squandered on a fairly slight tale (Texts, where The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas would have been an obvious choice). Aside from this, I really have no complaints and, given another lifetime, I would eagerly pursue the wider works of many of these writers.
There is great variety in setting, theme and language, reflecting the history and breadth of America as a land and a society. I read The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories a few years ago, and despite a few stand-out pieces, my overriding impression was of cramped, grey, repetitive tales (perhaps a fair reflection of Britain!). The present volume is, refreshingly, the complete opposite. A particular strength is the inclusion of numerous stories in regional vernacular that immerse the reader not only in a place and time but a way of seeing the world.
The Melville story here continues to haunt me, an elusive and enigmatic thing that seems to speak at a tangent to its surface events. The Henry James was sobering, the Twain hilarious. There were so many more that stuck in my mind, even if I've lost track of names and titles.
I would have welcomed more of a nod to science fiction, a form that thrives on short stories, and in the US; and an opportunity to rectify this in the work of Ursula Le Guin was, I felt, squandered on a fairly slight tale (Texts, where The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas would have been an obvious choice). Aside from this, I really have no complaints and, given another lifetime, I would eagerly pursue the wider works of many of these writers.
September 3, 2024
Didn't read all of these stories because I had to return it to the library. Some 4-star stories were "Cannibalism in the Cars" by Mark Twain, "The Lecture" by Isaac Bashevis Singer, and "Are these actual miles?" by Raymond Carver. Two stories earned 5 stars from me, "The Death of Justina" by John Cheever, and "Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff. Overall a good collection.
Read
October 1, 2024Look, I only read five stories out of this (for a quiz tournament), and I was too lazy to go through Goodreads and find them all (read: I couldn't find the first one and gave up trying to find the rest).
But the stories I did read were good!
But the stories I did read were good!
November 6, 2020
Another short story anthology that I've been reading for years and have now finished. Lots of great stories. Here are my favorites:
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin
My Son the Murderer by Bernard Malamud
The School by Donald Barthelme
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin
My Son the Murderer by Bernard Malamud
The School by Donald Barthelme
June 7, 2019
I'm enjoying this anthology a lot. It covers the well-known names such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flannery O'Connor, etc. (but not including O. Henry and John Steinbeck). I like it includes immigrants such as Ha Jin, Jhumpa Lahiri, etc. Then there are authors I've never heard of. 59 stories in total.
Some of the stories I especially like (in the order they appear in the book):
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
my review
Peter Rugg, the Missing Man by William Austin
my review
A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett
A girl's adventure (adventure is not just for boys, you know) and an intriguing ending. Her shyness and the old country setting make the story even more endearing.
Old Woman Magoun by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I guess we can call this a feminist story, but it's hard to pinpoint its charm. I can see it expanded to a novella. (How did the lawyer's wife--who has lost her own child--respond to the news of Lily's death? Could she figure out what really happened? If she could, how would she related to grandmother Magoun? And her husband the lawyer, who seems to be a kind and intelligent man?)
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
my review
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
My second time to read this. my review I still don't think this is particularly scary, and I'm scared my taste may be different from others.
There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
I like that these genre fiction works are included in this anthology, but I'm not sure if this is the best example of Bradbury. It's beautiful writing, but it's only a scene, and he wrote a lot of short fictions that have the beginning, the middle, and the end.
A Late Encounter with the Enemy by Flannery O'Connor
Humorous and sad, which is hard to achieve at the same time.
The School by Donald Barthelme
Rhythmic prose, sad-funny escalation, and the ending!
Some of the stories I especially like (in the order they appear in the book):
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
my review
Peter Rugg, the Missing Man by William Austin
my review
A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett
A girl's adventure (adventure is not just for boys, you know) and an intriguing ending. Her shyness and the old country setting make the story even more endearing.
Old Woman Magoun by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I guess we can call this a feminist story, but it's hard to pinpoint its charm. I can see it expanded to a novella. (How did the lawyer's wife--who has lost her own child--respond to the news of Lily's death? Could she figure out what really happened? If she could, how would she related to grandmother Magoun? And her husband the lawyer, who seems to be a kind and intelligent man?)
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
my review
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
My second time to read this. my review I still don't think this is particularly scary, and I'm scared my taste may be different from others.
There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
I like that these genre fiction works are included in this anthology, but I'm not sure if this is the best example of Bradbury. It's beautiful writing, but it's only a scene, and he wrote a lot of short fictions that have the beginning, the middle, and the end.
A Late Encounter with the Enemy by Flannery O'Connor
Humorous and sad, which is hard to achieve at the same time.
The School by Donald Barthelme
Rhythmic prose, sad-funny escalation, and the ending!
November 11, 2025
Most of the stories were interesting with some being phenomenal and some being underwhelming. Joyce Carol Oates did a fantastic job picking out all of these short stories and finding a wide variety of topics as well as writers and perspectives to make up the book. While some of these stories are dated, I have to say I enjoyed a majority of them. My favorites were Sonny's Blues, A late Encounter With the Enemy, Tell-Tale heart, The Sherrifs Children, Battle Royal, Something to remember me by, and My son the murderer. Some I did not love or found disappointing were In a Far Country, The School, The Persistance of Desire (For how good of a writer Updike is this is not a fantastic story), and The Wives of the Dead. I definitely recommend this collection of short stories for someone interested in classic fiction as well as short stories in general. Seeing that it was compiled in 1992, it offers a lot of detailed and rich writing that isn't as evident in modern day fiction. Many of the seasoned writers showcased in this collection of short stories come from eras and times that well proceed the modern world. And for that, I think it offers perspectives and stories that we just do not see anymore. The craft of many of the stories is unique. I think this collection of short stories is essential for any wannabe fiction/short story writer as well. You can't become a great writer without witnessing lots of other great writing. This took me about a month to finish (I read about 1 story each day with multiple stories some days) and I am very excited to explore more works by many of the writers featured who I was unfarmiliar with before I started reading.
July 5, 2019
Interesting collection, but Oates doesn’t seem to have decided what she wants it to be. If you are looking for something to use to teach the American short story, this won’t be all that useful—she often picks odd, and not particularly good, stories from major figures, and she doesn’t include some of the most important short story writers in America, like Stephen Vincent Benet, Katherine Anne Porter and John O’Hara. She tries to include some genre writing, with samplings of horror and sci-fi, but completely ignores the detective/mystery and romance genres; plus, the story she includes by Stephen King is hardly his best, and seems to be chosen more because it is closer to “literary” than his best horror stories are. In short, the collection tries to be a number of different things—to include rare instead of canonical stories for some well-known authors, to focus on the standards for others, to include genre fiction but only that which seems almost literary. The collection does include some less familiar stories, so if you’re not interested in a classroom text but just something to read it’s okay. But in that case, it would have been more interesting to go for the more obscure and less often anthologized stories for all the writers, not just some of them.
January 7, 2021
A great mixtape: a handful of hits, mostly deep cuts, and only a few clunkers. (The worst short stories of this collection are included for their historical importance and cordoned to the first hundred or so pages.)
Oates includes a lot of stories you might not know from authors you probably already love, but this collection helps you find new favorites too. For me, it was Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and John Edgar Wideman.
Sure, this mixtape has some "Play 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥" moments. But what's a tour of American short fiction without "Rip Van Winkle," "Sonny's Blues," or "Mango Street?" Even the familiar stories enjoy new context than if they were in author's collections. Here, the styles and subjects mix and bang against each other. Anderson slides into Hemingway who smashes into Silko.
When you're done you'll have names highlighted and pages dog-eared so you can easily refind favorite passages.
Oates includes a lot of stories you might not know from authors you probably already love, but this collection helps you find new favorites too. For me, it was Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and John Edgar Wideman.
Sure, this mixtape has some "Play 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥" moments. But what's a tour of American short fiction without "Rip Van Winkle," "Sonny's Blues," or "Mango Street?" Even the familiar stories enjoy new context than if they were in author's collections. Here, the styles and subjects mix and bang against each other. Anderson slides into Hemingway who smashes into Silko.
When you're done you'll have names highlighted and pages dog-eared so you can easily refind favorite passages.
April 5, 2017
As a short story collection this anthology contains a wide variety of authors with a quick comprehensive overview of each author included. Throughout this entire anthology I was annoyed however because Dates in her forward explicitly said she hand-picked works which weren’t the authors best known pieces and then not only began with the most known Poe but in her snippets about the author on more than a fourth of them said this piece is this authors best know or most reprinted. That wouldn’t have bothered me if she hadn’t also said she was not going to print those and instead look for more less known representations of the author’s works. If you’re looking for a comprehensive short story collection containing American authors this is your book, if you want to find more obscure printings of the well known American authors you will need to look elsewhere.
April 30, 2017
Most of the stories were good but some got on the boring side
November 7, 2020
Excellent collection of American short stories - this collection of 56 short tales combines many different classic works with different topics from different period of time in late 19th to late 20th century in America. It includes a lot of masterpieces from women and minority writes which is something I really appreciate. You gonna see a lot of perspectives and thoughts that have been so well written, some shocked your mind in just few pages of words. I remember one about the pandemic that happened in America before but told you exactly what is happening right now in America and it surrounded world.
My favourites are: Cannibalism in the Cars, The Yellow Wallpaper (kind of remind me of the Hill's house on Netflix), Old Woman Magoun, A Death in the Desert (made myself raising some questions about what made a great artist), Blood-Burning Moon (that is a hell of story of blood and love between white and black people), Sonny's Blues (a sad look into a struggled life of a talent artist), The Lecture (a Jew who about to give a lecture and things suddenly happened to him), Something To Remember Me By (a small adventure of a teenager boy when things collapsed around him), Alaska (or two stories of those 2 black and white cleaners), Heat (dead of the twin), The Things They Carried (back to the Vietnam War where and when American soldiers have to be there when they were to young to understand what they were doing), Fever (so relevant to what we have right now with the pandemic), The management of Grief (how immigrants struggle in new place also on how people cope on with grief), Two kinds (Mother and daughter's relationship), Fleur (love this one as I always love Native American' stories).
Highly recommend this beautiful but heavy - you feel like you are holding 2kgs of something every time you read - book anyway to everyone.
My favourites are: Cannibalism in the Cars, The Yellow Wallpaper (kind of remind me of the Hill's house on Netflix), Old Woman Magoun, A Death in the Desert (made myself raising some questions about what made a great artist), Blood-Burning Moon (that is a hell of story of blood and love between white and black people), Sonny's Blues (a sad look into a struggled life of a talent artist), The Lecture (a Jew who about to give a lecture and things suddenly happened to him), Something To Remember Me By (a small adventure of a teenager boy when things collapsed around him), Alaska (or two stories of those 2 black and white cleaners), Heat (dead of the twin), The Things They Carried (back to the Vietnam War where and when American soldiers have to be there when they were to young to understand what they were doing), Fever (so relevant to what we have right now with the pandemic), The management of Grief (how immigrants struggle in new place also on how people cope on with grief), Two kinds (Mother and daughter's relationship), Fleur (love this one as I always love Native American' stories).
Highly recommend this beautiful but heavy - you feel like you are holding 2kgs of something every time you read - book anyway to everyone.
April 25, 2021
This large anthology (over 800 pages) brings together stories written by American authors from the earliest colonial times to the present. Early authors include Washington Irving, William Austin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Herman Melville and Samuel Clemens. The most recently published authors include Junot Diaz, Jhumpa Lahiri, Pinckney Benedict, David Foster Wallace, Lorrie Moore, Ha Jin, Jeffrey Ford, Louise Erdrich, Amy Hempel, T.C. Boyle, Stephen King, Tim O'Brien, Tobias Wolff and Richard Ford.
As expected with such a wide range of decades, a diversity of opinions and topics are covered. There are stories about being an immigrant, a story about the economic truths of various times, about families, about making a living and the role of family in a well-lived life, and other topics. The stories include those that are surprising, those meant to rally readers to a specific point of view or a plan of action against some outrage and those meant merely to entertain. There are many other authors between the early writers and the most recent one, authors whose names are familiar to readers everywhere. Some of these include Henry James, Langston Hughes, William Faulkner, Donald Barthelme, and Kate Chopin.
This anthology was edited by Joyce Carol Oates whose name is synonymous with quality writing and one of her stories is included in the anthology. She has done a wonderful job of including stories with diverse viewpoints which are inclusive of the entire range of men and women who have written as Americans. I am fairly well-read yet had read few of these stories and each discovery of another new gem was a delight. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
As expected with such a wide range of decades, a diversity of opinions and topics are covered. There are stories about being an immigrant, a story about the economic truths of various times, about families, about making a living and the role of family in a well-lived life, and other topics. The stories include those that are surprising, those meant to rally readers to a specific point of view or a plan of action against some outrage and those meant merely to entertain. There are many other authors between the early writers and the most recent one, authors whose names are familiar to readers everywhere. Some of these include Henry James, Langston Hughes, William Faulkner, Donald Barthelme, and Kate Chopin.
This anthology was edited by Joyce Carol Oates whose name is synonymous with quality writing and one of her stories is included in the anthology. She has done a wonderful job of including stories with diverse viewpoints which are inclusive of the entire range of men and women who have written as Americans. I am fairly well-read yet had read few of these stories and each discovery of another new gem was a delight. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.
May 15, 2018
There will always be standards and staples we’re told are divine, definitive, or otherwise distinct in the realms of genre or generation. Often, they’re substantively applauded or admonished; but it is the institution or branding which propel them into the public eye and therefore, public opinion. They’re widely read or recommended so, one might assume acculturation. Even if something is terrible, you’re expected to know of and about it. Likewise, if it’s amazing. I can say The Oxford Book of American Short Stories is not of the latter.
The prose reads as pretentious because every narrative is less forthright than flagrant. Characters are glib and singular with little, if any critical consideration; which wouldn’t be a nuisance if it weren’t for the absence of catharsis. This applies in tale after tale. Moreover, the “big names” of its constituents contrive it that much more as a vanity project. The “distinctions” of this book are unsurprising given those involved, since each writer (notably, the editor) bring brands which are bolstered under the banner of Oxford.
If one is inclined to conform to the power of suggestion, I recommend reading library copies so as to engage with whatever references may arise at literary parties where one may also be inclined to gulp at goblets and munch on artisan cheese. I would describe specific segments, but they all [equally] left me utterly unmoved. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about this collection other than its testament to commodity fetishism, where mediocrity may be mantled.
The prose reads as pretentious because every narrative is less forthright than flagrant. Characters are glib and singular with little, if any critical consideration; which wouldn’t be a nuisance if it weren’t for the absence of catharsis. This applies in tale after tale. Moreover, the “big names” of its constituents contrive it that much more as a vanity project. The “distinctions” of this book are unsurprising given those involved, since each writer (notably, the editor) bring brands which are bolstered under the banner of Oxford.
If one is inclined to conform to the power of suggestion, I recommend reading library copies so as to engage with whatever references may arise at literary parties where one may also be inclined to gulp at goblets and munch on artisan cheese. I would describe specific segments, but they all [equally] left me utterly unmoved. There is nothing particularly noteworthy about this collection other than its testament to commodity fetishism, where mediocrity may be mantled.
August 17, 2024
I think I finally understand Ray Bradbury's insistence on avoiding anthologies. While none of these were "bad", this collection as a whole doesn't really give a flavor of any one writer (even for ones I am already familiar with). It's like going to a restaurant that gives you a spoonful of rice, a single drumstick, a shooter of soup, a sip of wine - becoming a menagerie of bite-sized morsels that leave me less than satisfied.
Also slightly disappointed so few speculative fiction writers made the cut. But this is put out by Oxford, so perhaps ultimately they feel that genre is too "pulpy" to include anything beyond Bradbury and Stephen King (and I feel that either JCO or someone at Oxford had to argue strongly for including either of them in this collection, but I digress). Also, plenty of O. Henry winners here...but no stories from the man himself? Perhaps he was covered extensively in previous editions.
Some favorites from this collection:
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Cannibalism in the Cars by Mark Twain
The Sheriff's Children by Charles Chesnutt
In a Far Country by Jack London
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
A Late Encounter with the Enemy by Flannery O'Connor
Filthy Little Things by TC Boyle
Also slightly disappointed so few speculative fiction writers made the cut. But this is put out by Oxford, so perhaps ultimately they feel that genre is too "pulpy" to include anything beyond Bradbury and Stephen King (and I feel that either JCO or someone at Oxford had to argue strongly for including either of them in this collection, but I digress). Also, plenty of O. Henry winners here...but no stories from the man himself? Perhaps he was covered extensively in previous editions.
Some favorites from this collection:
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Cannibalism in the Cars by Mark Twain
The Sheriff's Children by Charles Chesnutt
In a Far Country by Jack London
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
A Late Encounter with the Enemy by Flannery O'Connor
Filthy Little Things by TC Boyle
February 24, 2022
I won’t lie, I read about half the book, got to a story I wasn’t super excited about, and didn’t pick the book up again for about a year. I see in some of the reviews, others had the same problem, and some even skipped stories. I’m an all-or-nothing type girl, so I *forced* myself to read every single story.
And I’m glad I did! Granted, some of the stories left me feeling a little confused, or disappointed. But overall, I loved the vast difference in writing style, getting a feel for so many authors (some of whom I’ve gone on to purchase their books!), and the short bios that helped me to understand where the author was coming from. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the stories that I *nearly* skipped (but thankfully couldn’t bring myself to do so)…they ended up being some of my favorites!
I would absolutely read this book again, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading.
And I’m glad I did! Granted, some of the stories left me feeling a little confused, or disappointed. But overall, I loved the vast difference in writing style, getting a feel for so many authors (some of whom I’ve gone on to purchase their books!), and the short bios that helped me to understand where the author was coming from. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the stories that I *nearly* skipped (but thankfully couldn’t bring myself to do so)…they ended up being some of my favorites!
I would absolutely read this book again, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves reading.
July 21, 2024
Stories I enjoyed:
CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (1860-1935)
The Yellow Wallpaper
NELSON ALGREN (1909-1981)
A Bottle of Milk for Mother
PAUL BOWLES (1910-1999)
A Distant Episode
JOHN CHEEVER (1912-1982)
The Country Husband
RALPH ELLISON (1914-1994)
Battle Royal
SHIRLEY JACKSON (1916-1965)
The Lottery
RAY BRADBURY (b. 1920)
There Will Come Soft Rains
JAMES BALDWIN (1924-1987)
Sonny's Blues
FLANNERY O'CONNOR (1925-1964)
A Late Encounter with the Enemy
TIM O'BRIEN (b. 1946)
The Things They Carried
T. C. BOYLE (b. 1948)
Filthy with Things
JEFFREY FORD (b. 1955)
The Drowned Life
HA JIN (b. 1956)
Children as Enemies
LORRIE MOORE (b. 1957)
How to Become a Writer
DAVID FOSTER WALLACE (1962-2008)
Good People
JHUMPA LAHIRI (b. 1967)
Hell-Heaven
CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (1860-1935)
The Yellow Wallpaper
NELSON ALGREN (1909-1981)
A Bottle of Milk for Mother
PAUL BOWLES (1910-1999)
A Distant Episode
JOHN CHEEVER (1912-1982)
The Country Husband
RALPH ELLISON (1914-1994)
Battle Royal
SHIRLEY JACKSON (1916-1965)
The Lottery
RAY BRADBURY (b. 1920)
There Will Come Soft Rains
JAMES BALDWIN (1924-1987)
Sonny's Blues
FLANNERY O'CONNOR (1925-1964)
A Late Encounter with the Enemy
TIM O'BRIEN (b. 1946)
The Things They Carried
T. C. BOYLE (b. 1948)
Filthy with Things
JEFFREY FORD (b. 1955)
The Drowned Life
HA JIN (b. 1956)
Children as Enemies
LORRIE MOORE (b. 1957)
How to Become a Writer
DAVID FOSTER WALLACE (1962-2008)
Good People
JHUMPA LAHIRI (b. 1967)
Hell-Heaven
June 2, 2020
In The Oxford Book Of American Short Stories there are multiple diverse short stories by different authors. One story that I loved was called The Reach. The Reach is by Stephen King. This short story is about a 95 year old woman named Stella Flanders. She lived in Goat Island and she was in fact the oldest resident. Ever since she was young she never thought about crossing the body of water that separates Goat island from the mainland of New York. Stella started to see her dead husband and her husband told her to go across the water so she did. At that point she knew it was her time to go . She made it across the water and she then passed away. A friend recommended this book and that’s why I chose it. I did not like how the majority of the stories in this book are very dark.
March 23, 2022
Took a while but I finally finished reading this one. It w as a pretty good read. There were a lot of authors I recognized in here and quite a bunch more that I didn't. Poe, Bradbury, and Tan are always great to read (to name a few). But other authors like Cather and Beecher Stowe impressed me as well. Each of these authors has their own flavor and that was enjoyable to me. It felt very quaint and classy to read lol. I especially loved the stories set in forests and nature. And A Death In The Desert stood out to me because I love desert aesthetics and the prose of that story were incredible. I think that my there favorites were Tell Tale Heart, The Ghost In The Mill, and Rip Van Winkle. But There will Come Soft Rains also captured me.
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