Status Updates From The Oxford Book of American...

Good stories. Huge book I keep in the car and read when I am waiting for something, so slow going but enjoyable.

Finished the 1st story Irving’s Rip Van Winkle. A hen pecked husband falls asleep and wakes up 20 years later. No longer a subject of King George but a free citizen of the U.S. His shrew wife dead, he gets to idle about revered as a chronicler of the old times before the war. It’s a lively written story with a terrific vocabulary! Throughly enjoyed it.

The intro was great!! JCO deep dive on the importance and history of the short story in America. She defines the short story and then unpacks each selection for the anthology. How it seeks to present overlooked pieces and weave its own narrative about America reading through the selections ordered chronologically.

currently reading for literature class