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MODERN SHORT STORIES
This collection is a companion to the long-established and highly successful Modern Short Stories One and its essential aims are the same: to offer stories of high literary quality which, though written for adults, can be enjoyed and appreciated by adolescents. The fifteen stories included are by distinguished writers from Africa, America, Australia, India, Ireland, Italy and Great Britain; and within their artistic context several of them deal with the special personal and social concerns of society today.
The collection includes stories by the likes of Dorothy Parker, Maeve Binchy, Garrison Keillor, Peter Carey, Flannery O'Connor and Nadine Gordimer.
The collection includes stories by the likes of Dorothy Parker, Maeve Binchy, Garrison Keillor, Peter Carey, Flannery O'Connor and Nadine Gordimer.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
219 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 19, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 21, 2019
This is a mixed bunch.
First, the contents, since the book description doesn't include it, and the book is incorrectly merged with other volumes that include stories not in this book:
The Peaches (Dylan Thomas)
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Geoffrey Dutton)
Her First Ball (Katherine Mansfield)
Ha'penny (Alan Paton)
The Rain Horse (Ted Hughes)
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
The Road (James Hanley)
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
Lie Thee Down, Oddity! (T.F. Powys)
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
Indian Camp (Ernest Hemingway)
The Ice Palace (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Go Down, Moses (William Faulkner)
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
---
My first opinions of each story, in order.
Dylan Thomas "The Peaches"
A story of a horrible boy who destroys any sympathy. I've always thought Dylan Thomas was over-rated in terms of fiction and poetry, as well as appearing to be a deeply unpleasant person.
Geoffrey Dutton "The Wedge-Tailed Eagle"
A story about dickhead air force pilots and sheep farmers. The apology is too little, too late.
Katherine Mansfield "Her First Ball"
It captures a mix of feelings and observations. It reminds me of a tip for authors: don't give a lot of the characters similar names, it's confusing at the start.
Ha'penny (Alan Paton)
This just fell a bit flat for me.
Ted Hughes, "The Rain Horse"
Beautiful description of the scene and the natural environment.
Unfortunately, the main character was unsympathetic and dragged the story into the mud.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
Obviously a classic in its structure and premise, though the idea has been so over-used in recent years that it is hard to read it with a fresh eye now.
The Road (James Hanley)
This didn't grip me, it was too aloof. Yes, that fits the shell-shocked theme, but it doesn't make the fiction satisfying to read.
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
This appealed to me with its hint of Lord of the Flies, or The Children (an excellent 2008 British horror film). It was hard to identify with the characters, though.
Lie Thee Down, Oddity! (T.F. Powys)
Too quirky for me, with a bizarre main character who is more a cypher than a person. His obsession with "taming nature" is too nobbish for me to identify with.
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
I enjoyed this in the way it captures a scene and an emptiness without needing to overstate things. It stuck in my mind.
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
Once it got going I had to read on to find out what would happen - it was interesting that identification with the character occurred while the view was presented from a distance. This worked well.
Indian Camp (Ernest Hemingway)
I'm not sure what to say about this. The writing was effective, but it never satisfied me, more like a snapshot than something complete.
The Ice Palace (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Although I liked some of this, it felt overlong, and that's always a bad sign. If it had been more concise I'd have liked it more.
Go Down, Moses (William Faulkner)
Nothing about this captivated me. Like Hemingway's story, this felt incomplete and distant.
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
At the start I thought I'd hate this because of the over-wrought tone, but it captured me and sucked me in, and as it became more understated it made an even stronger connection of sympathy. Like The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, but with a happier ending.
---
TL;DR - summary of the ones I recommend from this collection.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
First, the contents, since the book description doesn't include it, and the book is incorrectly merged with other volumes that include stories not in this book:
The Peaches (Dylan Thomas)
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Geoffrey Dutton)
Her First Ball (Katherine Mansfield)
Ha'penny (Alan Paton)
The Rain Horse (Ted Hughes)
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
The Road (James Hanley)
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
Lie Thee Down, Oddity! (T.F. Powys)
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
Indian Camp (Ernest Hemingway)
The Ice Palace (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Go Down, Moses (William Faulkner)
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
---
My first opinions of each story, in order.
Dylan Thomas "The Peaches"
A story of a horrible boy who destroys any sympathy. I've always thought Dylan Thomas was over-rated in terms of fiction and poetry, as well as appearing to be a deeply unpleasant person.
Geoffrey Dutton "The Wedge-Tailed Eagle"
A story about dickhead air force pilots and sheep farmers. The apology is too little, too late.
Katherine Mansfield "Her First Ball"
It captures a mix of feelings and observations. It reminds me of a tip for authors: don't give a lot of the characters similar names, it's confusing at the start.
Ha'penny (Alan Paton)
This just fell a bit flat for me.
Ted Hughes, "The Rain Horse"
Beautiful description of the scene and the natural environment.
Unfortunately, the main character was unsympathetic and dragged the story into the mud.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
Obviously a classic in its structure and premise, though the idea has been so over-used in recent years that it is hard to read it with a fresh eye now.
The Road (James Hanley)
This didn't grip me, it was too aloof. Yes, that fits the shell-shocked theme, but it doesn't make the fiction satisfying to read.
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
This appealed to me with its hint of Lord of the Flies, or The Children (an excellent 2008 British horror film). It was hard to identify with the characters, though.
Lie Thee Down, Oddity! (T.F. Powys)
Too quirky for me, with a bizarre main character who is more a cypher than a person. His obsession with "taming nature" is too nobbish for me to identify with.
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
I enjoyed this in the way it captures a scene and an emptiness without needing to overstate things. It stuck in my mind.
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
Once it got going I had to read on to find out what would happen - it was interesting that identification with the character occurred while the view was presented from a distance. This worked well.
Indian Camp (Ernest Hemingway)
I'm not sure what to say about this. The writing was effective, but it never satisfied me, more like a snapshot than something complete.
The Ice Palace (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Although I liked some of this, it felt overlong, and that's always a bad sign. If it had been more concise I'd have liked it more.
Go Down, Moses (William Faulkner)
Nothing about this captivated me. Like Hemingway's story, this felt incomplete and distant.
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
At the start I thought I'd hate this because of the over-wrought tone, but it captured me and sucked me in, and as it became more understated it made an even stronger connection of sympathy. Like The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, but with a happier ending.
---
TL;DR - summary of the ones I recommend from this collection.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (James Thurber)
Growing Up (Joyce Cary)
Samphire (Patrick O'Brian)
Tickets, Please (D.H. Lawrence)
The Wharf (Walter de la Mare)
January 26, 2017
I've had this book on my shelf for a long time. It has a stamp inside that says it's from a school that I did not attend so I think I must have picked it up from a car boot sale. The short stories are all by well-established authors and, judging from the notes at the end of each story, I think they are supposed to inspire you to read more by the same author. It didn't work for me. The stories are now very dated and pretty miserable. I was not inspired to go running for more books by these authors so it's good that I had already read many of the works of F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and a few others because I would not have read them if I'd been judging them by these stories.
June 21, 2020
This is one of the best collections of short stories I've ever read. Particular attention to 'Lie Thee Down, Oddity!' - how this is not more well known I do not know. It is a very interesting story. 'The Rain Horse' has the most perfect scenic description - so good that you are transported to the field on that day almost completely. So many good stories that will stay with me a lifetime. Highly recommend.
April 16, 2024
I have the 1983 edition with a yellow cover (first edition 1964). There is a mixed bag of stories, some of which have not dated well. Others are time capsules of a different era and work perfectly well like that.
I liked the editor's notes: I don't always pick things up on the first read so I found them helpful. I also liked the biographies of the authors and where to read more of their work.
My favourite three stories were by James Hanley, Joyce Cary and D.H. Lawrence.
I liked the editor's notes: I don't always pick things up on the first read so I found them helpful. I also liked the biographies of the authors and where to read more of their work.
My favourite three stories were by James Hanley, Joyce Cary and D.H. Lawrence.
February 5, 2019
A great selection of short stories.
November 9, 2023
Enjoyed!! The Peaches, The Road, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and The Rain Horse in particular
April 7, 2024
Found most of these rather heavy going. As they're aimed at students, maybe they give meat for discussion, but they did not inspire me to read more of any of the authors' works
December 25, 2015
This book of short stories took me over a year to read. Because these were stand alone short stories I didn't need to rush through this book. However I did want to complete it this year,
Reading short stories was a good change. Made me realise (yet some more) the power of words. And how even a short story can pack a punch. And how good usage of words can carry a story.
Most of the stories here were well written and great to read. I liked the commentary of each story. Got one looking out for themes and writing techniques.
I conclude with the concluding commentary line "...which sends us most grateful, most appreciative, back to life, and this is literature's highest function." totally agreed!
Reading short stories was a good change. Made me realise (yet some more) the power of words. And how even a short story can pack a punch. And how good usage of words can carry a story.
Most of the stories here were well written and great to read. I liked the commentary of each story. Got one looking out for themes and writing techniques.
I conclude with the concluding commentary line "...which sends us most grateful, most appreciative, back to life, and this is literature's highest function." totally agreed!
December 18, 2014
Many stories were laborious to read through. The wordiness often got in the way of my attention. And they aren't as meaningful as the classics in the 1800's - I could read those better.
The more enjoyable ones:
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle - Geoffrey Dutton
Her First Ball - Katherine Mansfield
Ha'penny - Alan Paton
Growing Up - Joyce Cary
The Wharf - Walter de la Mare ("Of all the stories in this book this is the one which sends us most grateful, most appreciative, back to life; and this is literature's highest function.")
The more enjoyable ones:
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle - Geoffrey Dutton
Her First Ball - Katherine Mansfield
Ha'penny - Alan Paton
Growing Up - Joyce Cary
The Wharf - Walter de la Mare ("Of all the stories in this book this is the one which sends us most grateful, most appreciative, back to life; and this is literature's highest function.")
January 25, 2016
Technically, I already read this book when I was in high school, though I highly doubt I actually read any of it.
There were some stories I loved, some I hated and some I didn't really care about, so this gets three stars from me.
There were some stories I loved, some I hated and some I didn't really care about, so this gets three stars from me.
June 10, 2009
Modern Short Stories: Bk. 1 by Jim Hunter (1974)
May 9, 2013
I read this at school and remember particularly liking Geoffrey Dutton and Ted Hughes. I need to re-read it.
March 21, 2015
Very nice reading, nothing extraordinary but good enough.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews