The American Short Story

by Thomas Parkes

Synopsis
This entertaining collection--a panoramic survey of American literature--presents over two hundred years of great American Short stories in more than 1,000 pages. From Washington Irving to Joyce Carol Oates, our nation's best writers are showcased at the top of their form.

Selections from America's first great quartet of fiction writers--Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, and Herman Melville--open this extraordinary volume and reflect the birth of a distinctly American literature. The short story blossomed during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, giving rise to superb works of realism, naturalism, and regionalism. The American Short Story explores these traditions fully, with a wonderful sampling of writings from Ambrose Bierce, Edward Everett Hale, Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Sarah Orne Jewett, Joel Chandler Harris, Frank Norris, Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, Henry James, Edith Wharton, and many others. Stories like F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" and Ernest Hemingway's "The Snows of the Kilimanjaro" capture the brilliance of "The Lost Generation" writers; the rich tradition of Southern storytelling comes to life in works by William Faulkner, Katherine Anne Porter, Eudora Welty, Thomas Wolfe, and Flannery O'Connor; and, in works ranging from the sentimental to the satirical, the hard-hitting to the hilarious, writers like Saul Bellow, James Baldwin, John Updike, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., illuminate the experiences of America's extraordinarily diverse population.

As surprising, diverting, and rich in contradictions and contrasts as the country itself, this collection of stories is a true American treasure and acornerstone for every home library.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

1003 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book of short stories. It is a chronological collection of some of the greatest American short stories. Some I thought were wonderful and others I thought were horrible. Just goes to show you how everyone's tastes are very disimilar. One thing I did learn is what eras I particularly enjoy reading and what eras I seem to dislike. I think it is a great read for anyone. The stories are so varied, it's great exposure to different styles of writing. Enjoy!

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

For seasoned readers of short stories, many of these titles will be familiar to you. A few of the ones I re-read that have been my favorites were "Marjorie Daw," "The Gift of the Magi," "The Lost Phoebe," "Paul's Case," "The Devil and Daniel Webster," "A Good Man is Hard to Find," and "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" There were several other stories I liked, but didn't love, and a few I either skimmed through or didn't finish at all because the content didn't grab me or I plain just didn't get it. As with much fiction, it's often a matter of taste. True, sometimes technically a story can have serious deficiencies, but other aspects can bring it to a higher level.

The above-listed stories have been on my favorites list for a while. But I was also glad to find some new (to me) gems, like "Rappaccini's Daughter," "The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg," "To Build a Fire," and "Gimpel the Fool." When I saw that Jack London wrote "To Build a Fire," for example, I figured it wouldn't be one I'd like just because from what I had seen of his previous stories, they weren't my cup of tea. But it ended up being one of the more memorable stories I've read. Just to say that we should never assume we won't like an author's story just because their previous work hasn't grabbed us.

Obviously F. Scott Fitzgerald is a legendary author, and I enjoyed the 2013 movie version of The Great Gatsby (though obviously others didn't). But I haven't personally enjoyed reading his stories. Same goes for other authors included in this anthology (or, I've enjoyed some of their works but not others).

I look forward to seeing other reviews about these stories.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how it was arranged more or less chronologically. It was interesting to see how writing styles and subject matters changed over the decades. Some I liked, some I didn't, and some I had trouble getting into. Still not a fan of Henry James, and I did not like how the last story by Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? ended. It did not inspire me to read anything else by her.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing uplifting to read here, which was a bit disappointing considering the number and range of authors. If one were viewing American history as reflected in these stories, one would be hard-pressed to find a happy ending among these thousand pages. Struggle is the recurring theme here. Insurmountable struggle. Though the stories selected for this anthology didn't appeal to me as I hoped, there is clearly a reason each is presented. I didn't enjoy every writing style, but each author is truly a master writer. That's the best I can say about this collection. Picking nits, I know, but the editing irritated me, as well. You "till" the earth, but you wait 'til tomorrow.