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Short Stories about Madness
We are all driven by needs, desires, ambitions and many other forces. Life runs as normal with the obligatory ups and downs.
However, sometimes the ‘off’ switch in our heads doesn’t quite work as intended. The world, ourselves, and others, are seen in fractured ways through this disjointed prism of life. Elements of this life can become distorted, leading to distrust, paranoia, meltdown or breakdown, as the brain seeks to avoid real suffering by creating an illusion. The permutations are endless. Sometimes people are brought back from the brink and sometimes the edge can be a moving target. Often, at least in the literary world, madness is a sanctuary. If only others really knew, really understood…….
In this volume such literary leviathans as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nikolai Gogol, Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and many others provide tales from pens that seep with wisdom and worry.
Genius has many names.
1 - Stories on Madness - An Introduction
2 - The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
3 - Diary of a Lunatic by Leo Tolstoy
4 - Le Horla by Guy De Maupassant
5 - The Call of Cthulhu - Part 1 by H P Lovecraft
6 - The Call of Cthulhu - Part 2 by H P Lovecraft
7 - The Diary of a God by Barry Pain
8 - Brothers by Sherwood Anderson
9 - The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
10 - The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley
11 - The Devil in Manuscript by Nathaniel Hawthorne
12 - Hide And Seek or Pliatki by Fyodor Sologub
13 - The Shape of Fear by Elia W Peattie
14 - The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
15 - The Repairer of Reputations - Part 1 by Robert W Chambers
16 - The Repairer of Reputations - Part 2 by Robert W Chambers
17 - The Miracle by John Davys Beresford
18 - Shut Out by F Anstey
19 - Adventure by Sherwood Anderson
20 - A Red Flower by Vsevolod Garshin
21 - Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol
22 - The Republic of the Southern Cross by Valery Bryusov
23 - The Mass of Shadows by Anatol France
24 - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
25 - A Pastoral Horror by Arthur Conan Doyle
26 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 1 by Edgar Allan Poe
27 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 2 by Edgar Allan Poe
However, sometimes the ‘off’ switch in our heads doesn’t quite work as intended. The world, ourselves, and others, are seen in fractured ways through this disjointed prism of life. Elements of this life can become distorted, leading to distrust, paranoia, meltdown or breakdown, as the brain seeks to avoid real suffering by creating an illusion. The permutations are endless. Sometimes people are brought back from the brink and sometimes the edge can be a moving target. Often, at least in the literary world, madness is a sanctuary. If only others really knew, really understood…….
In this volume such literary leviathans as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nikolai Gogol, Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and many others provide tales from pens that seep with wisdom and worry.
Genius has many names.
1 - Stories on Madness - An Introduction
2 - The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
3 - Diary of a Lunatic by Leo Tolstoy
4 - Le Horla by Guy De Maupassant
5 - The Call of Cthulhu - Part 1 by H P Lovecraft
6 - The Call of Cthulhu - Part 2 by H P Lovecraft
7 - The Diary of a God by Barry Pain
8 - Brothers by Sherwood Anderson
9 - The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
10 - The Mortal Immortal by Mary Shelley
11 - The Devil in Manuscript by Nathaniel Hawthorne
12 - Hide And Seek or Pliatki by Fyodor Sologub
13 - The Shape of Fear by Elia W Peattie
14 - The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
15 - The Repairer of Reputations - Part 1 by Robert W Chambers
16 - The Repairer of Reputations - Part 2 by Robert W Chambers
17 - The Miracle by John Davys Beresford
18 - Shut Out by F Anstey
19 - Adventure by Sherwood Anderson
20 - A Red Flower by Vsevolod Garshin
21 - Diary of a Madman by Nikolai Gogol
22 - The Republic of the Southern Cross by Valery Bryusov
23 - The Mass of Shadows by Anatol France
24 - The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
25 - A Pastoral Horror by Arthur Conan Doyle
26 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 1 by Edgar Allan Poe
27 - The Fall of the House of Usher - Part 2 by Edgar Allan Poe
Audible Audio
Published August 12, 2024
About the author
Nathaniel Hawthorne
5,656 books3,739 followersNathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.
Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.
Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
April 5, 2026
It's uneven, but all compilations are. I think it is a shame that there are no tracks, but after Ctuthlu (and if you say that to my birds they run in terror screaming) everything is a half hour so that works like a track. Still, I would like to know who the narrators were...some were very good.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review