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Shirley Jackson

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Shirley Jackson


Born
in San Francisco, California, The United States
December 14, 1916

Died
August 08, 1965

Genre


Shirley Jackson was an influential American author. A popular writer in her time, her work has received increasing attention from literary critics in recent years. She has influenced such writers as Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, and Richard Matheson.

She is best known for her dystopian short story, "The Lottery" (1948), which suggests there is a deeply unsettling underside to bucolic, smalltown America. In her critical biography of Shirley Jackson, Lenemaja Friedman notes that when Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" was published in the June 28, 1948, issue of The New Yorker, it received a response that "no New Yorker story had ever received." Hundreds of letters poured in that were characterized by, as Jackson put it, "bewilderment, specul
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Average rating: 3.92 · 684,355 ratings · 65,165 reviews · 309 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Haunting of Hill House

3.82 avg rating — 260,051 ratings — published 1959 — 1062 editions
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We Have Always Lived in the...

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3.95 avg rating — 191,383 ratings — published 1962 — 224 editions
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The Lottery

4.06 avg rating — 80,854 ratings — published 1948 — 195 editions
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The Lottery and Other Stories

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4.04 avg rating — 73,226 ratings — published 1949 — 7 editions
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Life Among the Savages

3.98 avg rating — 7,332 ratings — published 1953 — 66 editions
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Hangsaman

3.77 avg rating — 7,139 ratings — published 1951 — 54 editions
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Dark Tales

4.02 avg rating — 6,213 ratings — published 2016 — 16 editions
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The Sundial

3.81 avg rating — 5,176 ratings — published 1958 — 77 editions
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The Bird's Nest

3.72 avg rating — 5,172 ratings — published 1954 — 49 editions
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The Witchcraft of Salem Vil...

3.79 avg rating — 3,410 ratings — published 1956 — 30 editions
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More books by Shirley Jackson…
Life Among the Savages Raising Demons
(2 books)
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4.02 avg rating — 9,810 ratings

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Quotes by Shirley Jackson  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality.”
Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

“A pretty sight, a lady with a book.”
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Polls

141358
OCTOBER 2016 Horror Novel /Hauntings
For Halloween, we read our usual horror book. Since we couldn't narrow down the subgenre, I have been trying to think of a sort of theme... I tried "gothic" but that wasn't really specific enough to find books... so I changed gears a little.

It was mentioned at the meeting that "ghosts" would be a fun type to read. Interestingly, many of these were also in the "gothic-horror" sections and all have extremely similar plot lines, typically surrounding a mansion, house, or castle. The books listed here, though similar, are very different takes on this plot, and are all considered to be modern classics.

So, hopefully you all approve of this list! Happy voting :)

Voting begins September 2th, & ends September 17th. Book club meeting for October will be on October 23rd.

 
  2 votes 40.0%

 
  1 vote 20.0%

 
  1 vote 20.0%

 
  1 vote 20.0%

I Don't Care
by Noah Pinon
 
  0 votes 0.0%

5 total votes
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