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Great American Short Stories: From Hawthorne to Hemingway
Beginning with well-known stories by Hawthorne, Melville, and Poe, this diverse and colorful collection includes tales by Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Sherwood Anderson, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Stephen Crane, and Mary Wilkins Freeman. From Sarah Orne Jewett's portraits of rural Maine to F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant tales from the Jazz Age, these stories span the breadth of the American experience. In addition to acknowledged masters of the short story form, such as O. Henry, Jack London, and Ernest Hemingway, this volume features stories by Charles W. Chesnutt, the first important African-American novelist, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a leading theorist of the early women's movement.
576 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 25, 2004
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1707 people want to read
About the author
Corinne Demas
53 books99 followersCorinne Demas is the award-winning author of thirty-nine books, including six novels (Daughters, The Road Towards Home, The Writing Circle), two short story collections, a memoir (Eleven Stories High, Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town, 1948--1968), a poetry chapbook, and numerous books for children (The Littlest Matryoshka, Saying Goodbye to Lulu, The Disappearing Island, The Perfect Tree). She is a Professor Emerita of English at Mount Holyoke College and a Fiction Editor of The Massachusetts Review. Along with her family, two donkeys, and a precocious puppy, she divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Cape Cod, two settings that have inspired her books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 1, 2012
Maybe I'm a little tough on this one. Three stars out of all the "Great American Short Stories"? Really? Well, to agree with another review, this collection of short stories is kind of limited to some big name, big short story works. Many of the stories, though wonderfully written, will never suit the everyday, 21st-century reader: unfortunately. Henry Jame's prose is complex, often unromantic, and never fast. Many of the stories about 20 feet into the ground in meaning. I like them, especially Crane's; I've never read him before. Also, I like Bierce, and Jewett. It's all very powerful writing if you like to take your time.
So, to agree with another review, these stories are sad. American literature 101? I don't know....If you're looking for uplifting, comedic, and generally, simple, yet ironic reads, then this may not be your brand of whiskey.
So, to agree with another review, these stories are sad. American literature 101? I don't know....If you're looking for uplifting, comedic, and generally, simple, yet ironic reads, then this may not be your brand of whiskey.
May 3, 2016
I only read Rapaccini's Daughter and The Birthmark. Hey we're very though provoking stories though. In my lit class we discussed and examined them in light of original sin. It was a very interesting conversation!
Edit:
Back again...
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calvereas County: I thought this was a little, rather pointless story. Reminded me of trying to talk to your siblings sometimes....
The Gift of the Magi: I can't decide whether the characters were really sweet and the story a good reflection of them. Or if they were sweet but they shouldn't have given up their prized possessions in such a way.
The Ransom of Red Chief: I could see that ending coming. I thought the story was amusing.
The Revolt of Mother: All I can say is I would have revolted long ago...but it was very admirable that the story ended without an argument or anger.
Edit:
I guess I am actually reading more short stories out of this book.
Bernice Bobs her Hair:
At the beginning of the story, I think that Bernice is slightly selfish, in an inward kind of way. She has this set of my almost that people should like her. She hasn't realized that she has this set of mind though and is confused as to why no one likes her in this new setting at her cousin's. Marjorie is a different character though. She is almost obnoxiously selfish. The boy she likes, she almost shuns, knowing that she can always come back for him later because she's only girl he can like (there's no one else around to like besides her, apparently). She sees a more quiet girl like Bernice as a burden and pokes at her and complains about her rather than actually trying to help Bernice. At the end of the story, I think Bernice has changed, but not for the better. She's been acting the ideal girl among all her cousin's snobby friends so that she can fit in. She lowers her standards. At the beginning of the book she was good enough the way she was. At the end she wasn't good enough and the mistake she made in bobbing her hair makes her act in a revengeful manner. She's more outgoing than she was at the beginning of the book, to be sure, but the way she went about becoming more outgoing was the wrong way. And it formed her into a character more like Marjorie, which isn't a good thing...
A New England Nun:
Louisa was definitely a character. Her and her tidy house and routine. When Joe went away to gain money so that he could marry her, it almost seems like she didn't really wait for him. But then again, I also felt like Joe, in going away, was trying to delay their marriage on purpose. Maybe both of them really didn't want to marry each other. Maybe Joe was going his separate way trying to get away from the situation without having to break the engagement. Maybe Louisa didn't prepare herself for the future because she wasn't to forget the future. Because she didn't really desire what the future would bring. She was stuck in her ways because she set herself in her ways. Then when Joe came back she was faced with having to give up her ways. I almost feel like this short story is a lesson for people who don't prepare for marriage, or who wait so long that they already have their routine of life and don't want to interrupt it, or who aren't willing to give up their little particulars for another person.
The Wife of His Youth:
This story was almost a contrast to A New England Nun. Rather than turn away the wife that he had when he was young, the wife that had stayed in his past, the past that he had grown up out of, he accepted her back. I think it was the right thing to do. They were both very different, but because they both could accept each other at that moment, they could accept each other later and they could look past their differences and try to change to become the person they needed to be to coordinate with each other.
Edit: And I'm back again.
To Build a Fire:
This story was pretty depressing. I couldn't help but get angry at this man. If he had just thought more clearly and taken the advice of others, he wouldn't have had any trouble. (Sorry to be vague, but I don't want to ruin the story)
Bartleby the Scrivener:
I thought it was really interesting that the man couldn't tell Bartleby to leave. It was almost like he had this commanding presence even though he was really...well, he was infallibly persistent. Another annoying but this time a little interesting, story.
Young Goodman Brown:
A very...dark story. It was really hard to try to interpret. Could be that Faith, his wife, represents his faith. Then when he goes to the forest in a way it is him seeing the world without faith. Before he had only seen it with faith and the sight of it without faith beat him down. As he sees this and tries to turn back to Faith, the devil attacks his faith directly and tries to bring him down that way. He calls out to tell Faith to be firm, but he never sees that she obeys him. I think that the fact that he never saw that Faith held up made him doubt her and she was the only good left. (It's like when you ask your friend to do something for you, but you never know if they did it or not and you keep wondering if they did. If they are a 'true' friend...) Because the only good he saw left in the world in that instant might have betrayed him, the faith that could have helped him look past the faults in others and hope that faith would bring them back to goodness and God, but since he turned away from Faith, doubting her, he had nothing to raise him up and help him hope in the future (and love the sinner, hate the sin type thing).
The Cask of Amontillado:
This story was a little shocking. Two men who don't like each other both have an interest in wine. One man tells the other that he has what he thinks is a cask of Amontillado wine. They go into a cave-like place where the man says he has kept them. Eventually the second man is drunk and the first man leaves him behind and seals up the cave.
Edit:
Back again...
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calvereas County: I thought this was a little, rather pointless story. Reminded me of trying to talk to your siblings sometimes....
The Gift of the Magi: I can't decide whether the characters were really sweet and the story a good reflection of them. Or if they were sweet but they shouldn't have given up their prized possessions in such a way.
The Ransom of Red Chief: I could see that ending coming. I thought the story was amusing.
The Revolt of Mother: All I can say is I would have revolted long ago...but it was very admirable that the story ended without an argument or anger.
Edit:
I guess I am actually reading more short stories out of this book.
Bernice Bobs her Hair:
At the beginning of the story, I think that Bernice is slightly selfish, in an inward kind of way. She has this set of my almost that people should like her. She hasn't realized that she has this set of mind though and is confused as to why no one likes her in this new setting at her cousin's. Marjorie is a different character though. She is almost obnoxiously selfish. The boy she likes, she almost shuns, knowing that she can always come back for him later because she's only girl he can like (there's no one else around to like besides her, apparently). She sees a more quiet girl like Bernice as a burden and pokes at her and complains about her rather than actually trying to help Bernice. At the end of the story, I think Bernice has changed, but not for the better. She's been acting the ideal girl among all her cousin's snobby friends so that she can fit in. She lowers her standards. At the beginning of the book she was good enough the way she was. At the end she wasn't good enough and the mistake she made in bobbing her hair makes her act in a revengeful manner. She's more outgoing than she was at the beginning of the book, to be sure, but the way she went about becoming more outgoing was the wrong way. And it formed her into a character more like Marjorie, which isn't a good thing...
A New England Nun:
Louisa was definitely a character. Her and her tidy house and routine. When Joe went away to gain money so that he could marry her, it almost seems like she didn't really wait for him. But then again, I also felt like Joe, in going away, was trying to delay their marriage on purpose. Maybe both of them really didn't want to marry each other. Maybe Joe was going his separate way trying to get away from the situation without having to break the engagement. Maybe Louisa didn't prepare herself for the future because she wasn't to forget the future. Because she didn't really desire what the future would bring. She was stuck in her ways because she set herself in her ways. Then when Joe came back she was faced with having to give up her ways. I almost feel like this short story is a lesson for people who don't prepare for marriage, or who wait so long that they already have their routine of life and don't want to interrupt it, or who aren't willing to give up their little particulars for another person.
The Wife of His Youth:
This story was almost a contrast to A New England Nun. Rather than turn away the wife that he had when he was young, the wife that had stayed in his past, the past that he had grown up out of, he accepted her back. I think it was the right thing to do. They were both very different, but because they both could accept each other at that moment, they could accept each other later and they could look past their differences and try to change to become the person they needed to be to coordinate with each other.
Edit: And I'm back again.
To Build a Fire:
This story was pretty depressing. I couldn't help but get angry at this man. If he had just thought more clearly and taken the advice of others, he wouldn't have had any trouble. (Sorry to be vague, but I don't want to ruin the story)
Bartleby the Scrivener:
I thought it was really interesting that the man couldn't tell Bartleby to leave. It was almost like he had this commanding presence even though he was really...well, he was infallibly persistent. Another annoying but this time a little interesting, story.
Young Goodman Brown:
A very...dark story. It was really hard to try to interpret. Could be that Faith, his wife, represents his faith. Then when he goes to the forest in a way it is him seeing the world without faith. Before he had only seen it with faith and the sight of it without faith beat him down. As he sees this and tries to turn back to Faith, the devil attacks his faith directly and tries to bring him down that way. He calls out to tell Faith to be firm, but he never sees that she obeys him. I think that the fact that he never saw that Faith held up made him doubt her and she was the only good left. (It's like when you ask your friend to do something for you, but you never know if they did it or not and you keep wondering if they did. If they are a 'true' friend...) Because the only good he saw left in the world in that instant might have betrayed him, the faith that could have helped him look past the faults in others and hope that faith would bring them back to goodness and God, but since he turned away from Faith, doubting her, he had nothing to raise him up and help him hope in the future (and love the sinner, hate the sin type thing).
The Cask of Amontillado:
This story was a little shocking. Two men who don't like each other both have an interest in wine. One man tells the other that he has what he thinks is a cask of Amontillado wine. They go into a cave-like place where the man says he has kept them. Eventually the second man is drunk and the first man leaves him behind and seals up the cave.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2025
It took me 4 years to finish this book. I bought it my junior year of high school and let it sit for years. I made some progress last summer and during the fall, but I was reading like 50 to 80 pages a day over the past week. The stories really get good once you get past the halfway point.
My favorite short stories from the book:
- "Barteby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville
- "The Revolt of 'Mother'" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
- "The Passing of Grandison" by Charles W. Chestnut
- "The Ransom of Redchief" by William Sydney Porter
- "The Other Two" by Edith Porter
- "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel" by Stephen Crane. these were my favorites out of them all
- "To Build a Fire" by Jack London
- "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My favorite short stories from the book:
- "Barteby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville
- "The Revolt of 'Mother'" by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
- "The Passing of Grandison" by Charles W. Chestnut
- "The Ransom of Redchief" by William Sydney Porter
- "The Other Two" by Edith Porter
- "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel" by Stephen Crane. these were my favorites out of them all
- "To Build a Fire" by Jack London
- "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
February 12, 2021
Wow what a wonderful sample of American fiction! Felt like my understanding of history and my overall literary senses expanded dramatically with this. Cannot recommend enough. My favorites were The Blue Hotel by Stephen Crane, Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Passing of Grandison by Charles Chesnutt, The Revolt of "Mother" by Mary Wilkins Freeman, and The End of Something by Hemingway.
In fact, I liked all of them. Probably, Henry James was my least favorite, but for reasons of prose. I love how delightfully unsettling and weird his plots are.
In fact, I liked all of them. Probably, Henry James was my least favorite, but for reasons of prose. I love how delightfully unsettling and weird his plots are.
February 24, 2018
Not my favorite short story collection of American Writers. There could have been other short stories included by Hemingway, and there's lots of neglected big names. It's not horrible and could get someone a very basic gist of short stories from Poe to Hemingway, but there really isn't much of an oomph to this collection. It's not the worst short story collection ever conjured up, but it's definitely not the best.
June 24, 2025
I thought this was a great collection of short stories. Some of them familiar (Gift of the Magi, Cask of Amontillado) and some new and memorable (The Yellow Wall Paper, Bernice Bobs Her Hair). The Ransom of Red Chief was laugh out loud funny and To Build a Fire heart breaking. I would definitely recommend this collection to get a taste of some pretty great short stories.
December 15, 2024
A very well-curated collection of classic American short stories. It didn't have everything I needed for my American Lit class, but it had most of them, including some by lesser-known classic authors. A great choice for anyone looking for a wide variety as well as the "must reads" of the genre.
July 22, 2017
Great introductions to some of the best American authors
April 18, 2021
A terrific introduction for me to the American Short Story.
February 19, 2022
Ig it’s easier for me to appreciate classics in short story form. Essays at the back make me want to write again
September 16, 2025
Great old short stories from the classic!
May 6, 2013
An excellent, budget-priced collection of classic American short stories. This is a great collection for any reader who wants to delve into the realm of the classic short story, a form of writing that does not get the attention by today's writers as it once did. There is a broad selection of authors represented here and here are just some of the classic stories you will find within this book's covers: "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Bartelby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, "The Beast in the Jungle" by Henry James, "The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane, "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, "The Untold Lie" by Sherwood Anderson, "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and "The End of Something" by Ernest Hemingway. There are a total of thirty classic short stories in this collection.
January 27, 2008
overall, it was a nice selection for short stories, including some that were very familiar, and others that were new to me. i like that there were a good number of woman included, and 'the yellow wall paper' was possibly my favorite, reminding me very much of the story and character of linda from the last book in doris lessing's children of violence series, 'the four gated city.' it was a cheap overview of what someone sees as good american short stories. personally, i would have included some other hemingway than a nick adams story, but what can you do? 'bernice bobs her hair' by fitzgerald was new to me and the ending was delicious, although the language and subject matter couldn't help but seem a bit trite to me. anyway, short stories are nice.
January 4, 2014
This was the first collection of short stories I've ever read, and my first thought after finishing it was to donate my other unread collection.
Maybe it's the selection, or maybe it's the genre. But one or the other pained me frequently.
Bartleby the Scrivener definitely stuck out for me though. "I would prefer not to!"
The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James, on the other hand, was an endurance tests. Really?
Okay, so I do believe there were just a few stories that were very dry and dull.
Maybe it's the selection, or maybe it's the genre. But one or the other pained me frequently.
Bartleby the Scrivener definitely stuck out for me though. "I would prefer not to!"
The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James, on the other hand, was an endurance tests. Really?
Okay, so I do believe there were just a few stories that were very dry and dull.
August 9, 2007
priced just over $7, the book includes 30 short stories, which is as good a story-per-dollar ratio as you are likely to find. i especially enjoyed 'young goodman brown,' 'the birthmark,' 'bartleby the scrivener,' 'the notorious jumping frog of calaveras county,' 'an occurance at owl creek bridge,' 'to build a fire,' and 'bernice bobs her hair.' as an added bonus, most are short enough to complete in one subway ride.
December 31, 2013
The selection isn't all that varied, After finishing it I felt like all the stories ended up (for the most part) looking dullish and tame. About a quarter of the stories are highly anthologized and therefore i've read many times, and certainly the majority of the ones that stand out are among them.
I was expecting slightly better, I was expecting MORE. Though of course the writing is good, etc, so its definitely not a waste of time or anything, just on the more uneventful side of things.
I was expecting slightly better, I was expecting MORE. Though of course the writing is good, etc, so its definitely not a waste of time or anything, just on the more uneventful side of things.
July 20, 2024
As a fan of the classics, it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to a book showcasing the work of some of our greatest authors. This collection could serve as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with these writers or for anyone interested in exploring American life, culture, and values through literature.
Want to read
October 7, 2011i understand the importance of these specific stories and how good they are, but I'm waiting for one that doesn't end in death/ isn't filled with proto-emo ennui. again, good stories, but really lady, let's get a happy ending or two in there. Even those Cannery Row stories aren't all depressing
June 7, 2007
Great for short quality stories :)
June 14, 2009
A wonderful variety of stories that transport the reader into the setting with descriptive, thoughtful sentences. Some stories, like those by Hawthorne, are especially stunning.
Read
January 18, 2010Great American Short Stories: From Hawthorne to Hemingway (Barnes & Noble Classics) by Corinne Demas (2004)
July 12, 2010
11th grade english.
July 15, 2010
Some of the selections are famous but boring, especially the Hawthorne and Poe, but most were engaging.
September 13, 2010
oh how i love short stories.
December 31, 2010
A decent collection, though really had to skip some of them
June 2, 2011
Excellent and entertaining collection.
February 19, 2012
Discovered that I'm not a short story lover
July 8, 2012
Nice to have on bedside table
September 30, 2012
Enjoyed some of the classics !
March 7, 2017
A great collection of classic stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews