Shirley Jackson: Novels and Stories (Library of America) by Shirley Jackson

by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson( Novels and Stories) <> Hardcover <> ShirleyJackson <> LibraryofAmerica

Genres: Short Stories, Horror

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1752

About the author

Shirley Jackson was an influential American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years. She has influenced such writers as Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson.

She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, speculation and old-fashioned abuse."

Jackson's husband, the literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, wrote in his preface to a posthumous anthology of her work that "she consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands and be the pundit of the Sunday supplements. She believed that her books would speak for her clearly enough over the years." Hyman insisted the darker aspects of Jackson's works were not, as some critics claimed, the product of "personal, even neurotic, fantasies", but that Jackson intended, as "a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our distressing world of the concentration camp and the Bomb", to mirror humanity's Cold War-era fears. Jackson may even have taken pleasure in the subversive impact of her work, as revealed by Hyman's statement that she "was always proud that the Union of South Africa banned The Lottery', and she felt that they at least understood the story".

In 1965, Jackson died of heart failure in her sleep, at her home in North Bennington Vermont, at the age of 48.

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it can get slow or repetitive at times, I’ve always really enjoyed Jackson’s work. No one else can capture a sense of quiet domestic horror like she can.

Full disclosure: I skipped the last section of sketches and miscellaneous stories, only because seeing unfinished work kind of bums me out

[Pardee]

The Lottery and Other Stories:
The Intoxicated - ★★★☆☆
The Daemon Lover - ★★★★☆
Like Mother Used to Make - ★★★★☆
Trial by Combat - ★★★★☆
The Villager - ★★☆☆☆
My Life at R.H Macy - ★☆☆☆☆
The Witch - ★★★★☆
The Renegade - ★★★★☆
After You, My Dear Alphonse - ★★★★☆
Charles - ★★★☆☆
Afternoon in Linen - ★★★☆☆
Flower Garden - ★★★★☆
Dorothy and My Grandmother and The Sailors - ★★☆☆☆
Colloquy - ★☆☆☆☆
Elizabeth - ★★☆☆☆
A Fine Old Firm - ★☆☆☆☆
The Dummy - ★★☆☆☆
Seven Types of Ambiguity - ★★★★☆
Come Dance with my in Ireland - ★☆☆☆☆
Of Course - ★★☆☆☆
Pillar of Salt - ★★☆☆☆
Men with Their Big Shoes - ★★☆☆☆
The Tooth - ★★★★☆
Got a Letter from Jimmy - ★★★☆☆
The Lottery - ★★★★☆
--
The Haunting of Hill House - ★★★★★
--
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - ★★★★★★
--
Other Stories and Sketches:
**Uncollected**
Janice - ★☆☆☆☆
A Cauliflower in Her Hair - ★★☆☆☆
Behold the Child Among His Newborn Blisses - ★★★★☆
It Isn't the Money I Mind - ★★★★★

[Brynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Don’t do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again; don’t do it; and the little girl glanced at her, and smiled a subtle, dimpling, wholly comprehending smile, and shook her head stubbornly at the glass. Brave girl, Eleanor thought; wise, brave girl.”

“When they left the girl waved good-bye to Eleanor, and Eleanor waved back, sitting in joyful loneliness to finish her coffee.”

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtly unsettling. Shirley Jackson is a master at taking something like a mundane trip to the grocers and filling the reader with a sense of unease or otherness as the grocer asks “what a lovely day we are having?.” Many of the stories end abruptly, causing the reader to feel a sleepy disquiet around them.

I was initially confused by the anthology as the first section was listed as The Lottery which made me think many of the short stories were interconnected. I was pleased they were not. Some of the stories reference pop culture (ex. “After You, My Dear Alphonse”) which is no longer, well, popular which caused me to have to search to the underlining meaning which further grew my understanding of Jackson’s work.

My personal favorite is We Have Always Lived in the Castle which played in my head like an Edward Gorey drawing mixed with the stop-motion of Coraline.

The Haunting of Hill House follows the gradual madness of Eleanor as she struggles with abandonment and loneliness in an unsettling house that makes the world spin as you look up at it.

I often finished the stories wondering why they bothered me so and that is a testament to Jackson’s craft.

[Natacha Pavlov · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Note that this review is only for 'The Haunting of Hill House' in this collection.

"Why me, she wondered, why me? Am I the public conscience? Expected always to say in cold words what the rest of them are too arrogant to recognize?"

Finally dove into Shirley Jackson's classic 'The Haunting of Hill House,' which is thankfully so much more than any of the film renditions. (While I've no interest in the Netflix series, I find the 1999 film entertaining, namely for that striking location.) At times the house descriptions made me think of fellow tiny person Sarah Winchester's Mystery House in San Jose, and sure enough it is cited in the novel. On that note; it made me wonder if the architecture angle (albeit strange) is a potential influence from Shirley's own architect ancestors, one of whom built houses only for wealthy Bay Area/Californians. I also found the hints of dark humor and reference to lengthy 18th c British novels to doze off to amusing.

Overall, and as with her 'Hangsaman', it leans psychological horror—ie. loneliness, mental abuse and instability—rather than scary, though the potential similarities fuel the air of mystery and dread. By now the main impression I get from her stories is sadness.

She's undeniably a skilled writer, but unpopular opinion or not, I ultimately don't really see the hype, just as I'm bound to disagree with the 'one of the best ghost stories ever written' label—as much for the many unanswered questions as for how subjective reading can be. After all, that's also been said of Henry James's 'The Turn of the Screw', and which, while shorter, was a comparably tedious read.

[TammyJo Eckhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find Shirley Jackson's novels and collections of short stories in different volume if you just look. The reason to get a collection that will have all of her work, including those unpublished pieces, is that you want to learn more about the author, right? That's what I expected. Sure the chronology at the end gives some details but these are detached from the pieces when they would resonate stronger if placed before or immediately after each. A copy of Jackson's own thought about her writing wasn't as informative as it was another example of her style of writing. In general, I really dislike endnotes again because they place the information so far from the work itself. The editor, Joyce Carol Oates, offers no introductory or concluding essays so we have no idea why she agreed to put together this collection.

The pages of this book are nearly tissue thin so be careful with it. The satin ribbon as a marker is okay but it is really necessary in a world swimming in bookmakers? I do like that it is hardcover and I love the slip cover over it. The best thing about this book is that it pulls everything from Jackson into one place. The quality of her work I've reviewed elsewhere under each novel or anthology itself. I would have liked to know more about the unpublished stories, some of which are as good as the published ones.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this compendium for some spooky season reading material. I particularly enjoyed The Witch, Charles, and The Haunting of Hill House. I liked that this was a comprehensive volume of Shirley Jackson's work, but I chose to skip or DNF some of the stories where they weren't capturing my attention. I can see why Jackson's writing is sometimes described as 'domestic gothic'. The 'horror' element in the stories is often a social horror. Some of these horrors are timeless, and some of them were a product of their time and feel a little dated. For instance, the story where a servant is manipulating the housewife, and the housewife, while she can sense what's happening, can't seem to cope without the servant, probably hits different if you live in a time where having servants is more common. Likewise the (multiple) stories where being an unmarried woman in your thirties is a devastating social horror in itself (which is not my experience in the year 2024!). All in all this was a nice volume to get to know Shirley Jackson's work, and I appreciated having some suspenseful and unsettling short stories to get into the Halloween mood.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackson's clear prose quickly draws you in and keeps you engaged every time. But I never get used to the abrupt endings, which is frustrating because you want more information. Her messaging is ambiguous and makes me refer to commentary to confirm the main points. The famous novels are classically good, but I had not read any of the short stories before. Many seem oddly familiar, especially The Lottery, which I know I'd never actually read before. It must have been mentioned in school. Biography of a Story is very interesting about Jackson's dealings with readers reacting to it. They are emotional and sometimes angry with a steady stream of denials; was it real, where did this happen, where could they go to watch? Egad. The story is fiction, but it doesn't seem to be a stretch to know normal people can be collectively influenced to do just about anything. Our current divided political climate includes acceptance, even admiration for, all kinds of violence, and has become more prevalent in recent years. My other best short stories are The Witch, The Summer People, Charles, and particularly, Louisa, Please Come Home. I haven't seen it said specifically, but I think Jackson must have significantly influenced the women's movement resurgence in the 60s. Her portrayals of the downsides of being wives and mothers were published in popular magazines that likely affected attitudes toward women's roles. Jackson also depicted unloved children (usually daughters), unaffectionate parents, distant families, and ageism toward the elderly. She spoke to realisms that probably were based on her own life disappointments. Jackson was a truth teller in her way and even if the stories aren't clearly remembered, the images stick with you. I watched the movie Shirley and am still processing that weirdness.