Women's Classic Literature Enthusiasts discussion

A discussion thread for short story collections by female classic authors.

Has anyone read any short stories from Edith Nesbit?

Charlene wrote: "Has anyone read any short stories from Edith Nesbit?"

I didn’t know she wrote short stories, Charlene. Now that I think of it, though, her chapter books read more like short stories or vignettes that are only loosely connected to one another. Are you reading a collection?

I am considering The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror figuring a short story collection may be a nice change up in reading. But I don't know too much about Edith Nesbit's writing.

You’ve intrigued me. I’m at a conference but later today plan to read the Nesbit short story at the below link, The Marble Child.

https://www.shortstoryproject.com/the...

So I have finished about 9 of the stories now in the book. It is more of a supernatural style instead of the gothic Ann Radcliffe style I sort of expected. They are definitely dark.

Good to know. I am glad I read The Marble Child but her style was so wordy for the first 20% or so that I almost gave up. Then it shifted to the style I've enjoyed before, although the ending went on a bit longer than it should have. Nesbit seems inconsistent, above all - her best is wonderful, but I can't count on her.

I thought the same Carol. I have always enjoyed Nesbit’s novels but read very few of her short stories. I found the first paragraph to be so verbose as to be almost impenetrable - but I persevered. A sweet, rather dated story: but none the worse for that.
If written today, I am sure the marble child would have drawn in the human child to join him at the front and the Aunties would have discovered him there all marbleised! !

So I just finished the short story collection of Edith Nesbit that I read. Overall I think it was a 3 stars; I haven't rated each individual story yet. I think my favorite was "The Pavilion". Most of the stories were written between 1890 to 1910 from what I can tell.

Charlene wrote: "So I just finished the short story collection of Edith Nesbit that I read. Overall I think it was a 3 stars; I haven't rated each individual story yet. I think my favorite was "The Pavilion". Most ..."

I'll try to find Pavilion.

Does anyone have a short story collection that they would recommend? I am close to needing a change up in what I have been reading.

Charlene wrote: "Does anyone have a short story collection that they would recommend? I am close to needing a change up in what I have been reading."

These are essays and not short stories, fyi, but The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg has been on my short-term list as a "something different" collection.

I'm a big Anne of Green Gables fan, so Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery appeals.

Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick was first published in 1979, so may not fit your preference for age, but it's available from NYRB and I've always heard great things.

I own two Dorothy Parker collections but they are door-stoppers and may strike you as a cumbersome hill to climb, unless you adore Ms. Parker. Like Saki, I find her most appealing in limited doses.

Good luck!

I did come across 2 short story collections on my library website. The first is More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror. And the other is In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers: 1850-1917

If you are needing more Victorian ghost stories, there is The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories: Volume 1,The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories: Volume 6; and The Wimbourne Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (Annotated): Volume 11 which are all stories written by women. Bonus is that each is about $2.50 e-books.

I just started More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror short story collection as I am waiting on September book from the library. Two stories in so far, and I would definitely be more interested in reading another piece by Mrs. S.C Hall. The book does give a little bio on each author before the short story. Next up is Morton Hall by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Charlene wrote: "I just started More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror short story collection as I am waiting on September book from the library. Two stories in so far, an..."

I gave 7 out of 26 stories 5 stars. There were 10 stories that were 4 stars. And 9 stories rated at 3 stars for me.

Charlene wrote: "I just started More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror short story collection as I am waiting on September book from the library. Two stories in so far, an..."

Gaskell wrote horror?

Anastasia Kinderman wrote: "Charlene wrote: "I just started More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror short story collection as I am waiting on September book from the library. Two stor..."

I know Wordsworth Classics has a whole book of Elizabeth Gaskell horror stories. Tales of Mystery & the Macabre

I have it at home but haven't gotten around to reading it.

Charlene wrote: "Anastasia Kinderman wrote: "Charlene wrote: "I just started More Deadly than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror short story collection as I am waiting on September boo..."

Wow, that's so cool! I did not know that.

I haven't read it, but British Library Publishing has out The Face in the Glass: The Gothic Tales of Mary Elizabeth Braddon from Mary Elizabeth Braddon. She was the author of Lady Audley's Secret.

In case anyone is looking for more short stories. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Charlene wrote: "Wordsworth Classics has a whole book of Elizabeth Gaskell horror stories. Tales of Mystery & the Macabre"

I read this collection and really enjoyed it, although as usual some of the stories are stronger than others. For me, 'Lois the Witch' was particularly memorable.

If you want more short stories in the gothic or macabre vein, I would also highly recommend two collections of stories by Daphne du Maurier: The Birds and Other Stories and Don't Look Now and Other Stories. 'The Birds' in particular is one of the best horror stories I have ever read. Much better and more atmospheric, in my opinion, than the movie which is based on it.

One that I would really like to read, but have yet to get my hands on a copy is The Mortal Immortal: The Complete Supernatural Short Fiction of Mary Shelley.

Elizabeth wrote: "One that I would really like to read, but have yet to get my hands on a copy is The Mortal Immortal: The Complete Supernatural Short Fiction of Mary Shelley."

A copy of MWS's Tales and Stories is accessible for free on Gutenberg and LibriVox
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/56665
https://librivox.org/tales-and-storie...

The selection of the stories seems to be different though, from the titles I would expect at least some of them would be supernatural. And on the plus side, there is more of them!

Jassmine wrote: "A copy of MWS's Tales and Stories is accessible for free on Gutenberg and LibriVox"

Ooh excellent! Thanks for the tip!

I have a question I hope someone can answer.

For April's read I was hoping to nominate And His Letters Grew Colder by Daphne du Maurier. DDM wrote this in the 1930s & it was rediscovered in 2006.

Does anyone know an online source where I can read this?

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I have a question I hope someone can answer.

For April's read I was hoping to nominate And His Letters Grew Colder by Daphne du Maurier. DDM wrote this in the 1930s & it was redisc..."

I can only seem to find a dramatic reading of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbUA...

I did not find anyone but I am old and no computer expert.

Charlene wrote: "Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I have a question I hope someone can answer.

For April's read I was hoping to nominate And His Letters Grew Colder by Daphne du Maurier. DDM wrote th..."
Thank you! :)

I haveThe Story: Love, Loss & The Lives of Women: 100 Great Short Stories an anthology of shorts by roughly 50 women authors that include: Katherine Mansfield, Anne Enright, Doris Lessing, Nadine Gordimer, Willa Carther, Muriel Sparks, Jennifer Egan, Magie Gee, and more.

this book was a really nice intro for me to a lot of authors who at the rime were new to me