Lifted Masks and Other Works

by Susan Glaspell, Eric S. Rabkin (Editor)

A singular collection of short stories unveiling aspects of the human condition

Genres: Short Stories

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 27, 1948) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actress, director, novelist, biographer and poet. She was a founding member of the Provincetown Players, one of the most important collaboratives in the development of modern drama in the United States. She also served in the Works Progress Administration as Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project.
Her novels and plays are committed to developing deep, sympathetic characters, to understanding 'life' in its complexity. Though realism was the medium of her fiction, she was also greatly interested in philosophy and religion. Many of her characters make principled stands.
As part of the Provincetown Players, she arranged for the first ever reading of a play by Eugene O'Neill.

Reviews

[Rasha Gazzaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few of Glaspell's forgotten stories in this collection - a good interesting read to those who love short stories. It entails tales which deal with morality, politics, social concerns of the 20th century. Starting off as a journalist, Glaspell uses many of the stories she encountered in real life as sources to the stories in "Lifted Masks."

[LauraT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extreamly interesting stories of an author I wouldn't have even heard of if it was not for Goordread. What a treasure this portal is!!!

[Kristina Writes Wrongs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just wanted to read the story "Jury of her Peers." Didn't really care for the rest.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories by Susan Glaspell, best known for “A Jury of Her Peers”/“Trifles” which are included at the end of this volume, originally published in 1912. Some of her writing reminds me of fellow Iowa writer Ruth Suckow, especially “From A to Z” about a young, College-educated woman who ends up working for a firm compiling a dictionary and develops a romantic attachment to her fellow worker. There are several about state politics and the accommodations that happen. Notable in this are “The Plea,” about a gubernatorial candidate who tells a group of reform school boys about his real past, even though it might hurt his campaign; “The Last Sixty Minutes,” about a governor controlled by his party who finally does something ethical; and “How the Prince Saw America,” about a foreign dignitary who gets to see American politicians working together because they think the prince is coming later and they want to make the Capitol look nice. There are a couple of stories about women whose dreams exist in place of life, “For the Love of the Hills,” about a woman going blind who wants to see her beloved West one more time, and “‘Out There,’” about a dying woman who writes copy about a West she’ll never see. My two favorites are “‘One of Those Impossible Americans,’” superficially about a blustery American businessman in Paris, but actually about a man who is trying to find something for his wife, who has worked herself into a sort of dementia. The other, and this because I’m a sucker for dog stories, is “The Anarchist: His Dog,” about a poor paperboy who develops a love for a dog who accompanies him on his rounds, and who despairs when he realizes he doesn’t have enough money for a license for his dog and is afraid that the dog will be shot. That’s when he becomes an anarchist.