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American Short Stories
With its historical thrust, chronological organization, and attention to "classic" works, American Short Stories offers a discriminating collection of both canonical and recent stories in a brief anthology made all the more flexible by its streamlined apparatus. Enriched Selection of Stories and more contemporary authors and an increased representation of ethnically diverse writers, with two stories per major author. The introductions of the five time periods clarify the two-hundred year history of the American short story, its developing forms, and enduring themes. Head notes introduce each writer. New author quotes, commentary, and biographical information help readers place the authors in relation to his/her time period, in relation to other writers, and to American literature in general. For anyone interested in fiction or American literature.
770 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 8, 2017
Did not finish as once I got into the 20th century the stories became very depressing
July 5, 2011
I first purchased this book in the late 90s, when it was used as a textbook for a creative writing class I was taking. As a student, I was forced to read several stories in this collection, but never got around to reading the entire book until now.
There are many editions of this book, and my understanding is that each edition has different authors and/or different stories. Each story is listed as part of an era, and the eras are organized chronologically. The eras have introductions, as do the authors.
I started the book by reading each introduction, reading each author's biography, and then reading the author's story. There are names in here that I recognized -- like Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald -- and names I did not. Many of the earlier stories gave me a new appreciation for some of these authors, like Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat, Herman Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener, and Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
About halfway through this collection, I started skipping stories. I found quite a few that were hard to read, had annoying characters, or were just plain boring. The introductions took a turn for the worse as well, and so I started skipping those. It's hard to believe the praise the editors heap on these authors when they heap similar praise on every author in the book. Granted, they chose the stories within this volume for a reason, but I honestly couldn't tell you why they chose some of the stories. The few I read to completion in the latter half of this collection left me wondering what the point of the story was. The only exception in the second half of the collection was the absolutely gripping story from Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried.
In all, I would estimate that I read close to 70% of this book, and liked perhaps 10%. Everyone's taste in fiction differs, so you are bound to find something good in here to read. That's the best part of any anthology: for one purchase price, you get a chance at finding a new favorite author. And this collection has sixty-one stories to read.
There are many editions of this book, and my understanding is that each edition has different authors and/or different stories. Each story is listed as part of an era, and the eras are organized chronologically. The eras have introductions, as do the authors.
I started the book by reading each introduction, reading each author's biography, and then reading the author's story. There are names in here that I recognized -- like Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald -- and names I did not. Many of the earlier stories gave me a new appreciation for some of these authors, like Edgar Allen Poe's The Black Cat, Herman Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener, and Ambrose Bierce's An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
About halfway through this collection, I started skipping stories. I found quite a few that were hard to read, had annoying characters, or were just plain boring. The introductions took a turn for the worse as well, and so I started skipping those. It's hard to believe the praise the editors heap on these authors when they heap similar praise on every author in the book. Granted, they chose the stories within this volume for a reason, but I honestly couldn't tell you why they chose some of the stories. The few I read to completion in the latter half of this collection left me wondering what the point of the story was. The only exception in the second half of the collection was the absolutely gripping story from Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried.
In all, I would estimate that I read close to 70% of this book, and liked perhaps 10%. Everyone's taste in fiction differs, so you are bound to find something good in here to read. That's the best part of any anthology: for one purchase price, you get a chance at finding a new favorite author. And this collection has sixty-one stories to read.
February 4, 2016
A great collection of stories. Even though I didn't read all the stories, just most of the ones from the 19th century. I took a 19th century U.S. Literature class online and this was the book assigned. I thought it was interesting that we would only focus on short stories, but of course it made the reading load a little smaller with just 2 stories to read a week. Two of my favorite stories in this collection were "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe and "The Storm" by Kate Chopin. Those stories were out there and very ahead of their time which is why I specifically enjoyed them.
October 17, 2010
I bought this several years ago off the bargain table. I know it's a textbook anthology, but I think it is one of the best selections of short fictions I found. I read every story!
November 27, 2014
Wow, I loved all of these short stories!! Unexpectedly good collection of stories.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews