Spunk: The Selected Short Stories

by Zora Neale Hurston

A delightful collection portraying the energy and dynamism of black culture includes the noted author's early works and follows her evolution into a literary genius and contains such stories as Muttsy, Isis, Spunk, and more.
These eight stories - which include intense love stories, stories of family relationships, and insightful pictures of black life in the South - were written between 1924 and 1942. The title story won several awards when it was published in 1925.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, African American, Classics, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Black Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Novels, including Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), and nonfiction writings of American folklorist Zora Neale Hurston give detailed accounts of African American life in the South.

In 1925, Hurston, one of the leaders of the literary renaissance, happening in Harlem, produced the short-lived literary magazine Fire!! alongside Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman shortly before she entered Barnard College. This literary movement developed into the Harlem renaissance.

Hurston applied her Barnard ethnographic training to document African American folklore in her critically acclaimed book Mules and Men alongside fiction Their Eyes Were Watching God . She also assembled a folk-based performance dance group that recreated her Southern tableau with one performance on Broadway.

People awarded a Guggenheim fellowship to Hurston to travel to Haiti and conduct research on conjure in 1937. Her significant work ably broke into the secret societies and exposed their use of drugs to create the Vodun trance, also a subject of study for fellow dancer-anthropologist Katherine Dunham, then at the University of Chicago.

In 1954, the Pittsburgh Courier assigned Hurston, unable to sell her fiction, to cover the small-town murder trial of Ruby McCollum, the prosperous black wife of the local lottery racketeer, who had killed a racist white doctor. Hurston also contributed to Woman in the Suwanee County Jail , a book by journalist and civil rights advocate William Bradford Huie.

Reviews

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this collection of eight short stories is a great introduction to Zora Neale Hurston. I loved the passion in these stories, the rich dialogue between the characters, and Hurston’s humour. In one story she writes a story (‘Isis’) about a little girl, who I suspect to be Hurston herself, overcome with pity by the hopelessness she sees on her grandmother’s person and decides to shave off her whiskers!

I’ve read Zora’s autobiography ‘Dust Tracks on a Road’ so I recognized the locale of her upbringing in some of these stories. Also, knowing that Hurston was interested in the spiritual world and mythology meant I wasn’t surprised by some of the themes she explored (biblical themes and the supernatural, in particular). Additionally, her respect for different dialects is clear by the fact that she wrote the stories using the southern African-American vernacular. In particular, this quote from ‘Dust Tracks on a Road’ exemplifies her feelings about language: “It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions having power to influence, yes. Inherent difference, no.”

A very enjoyable read.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be reviewing the title story; My introduction to Zora Neale Hurston.

Very effective use of symbolism and a sort of open-ended speculation of supernatural influence. I was impressed at the particular symbolism of one of the characters' name Elijah (yes the biblical allusion is subtle but I think it is there). This story more surprisingly reminds me of ancient Greek tragedy in a few ways. I definitely think of Sophocles while reading this.

[Saige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Hurston is able to create such rich, believable characters in so few words. I can see myself and my neighbors in her characters even when they were only introduced a page ago. The dialogue is so down to Earth and realistic. The one problem I have with it is that the dialectic writing can be very difficult to understand. I found that it helped me to read it out loud. Hearing the words instead of just reading them helped the flow of the text, and it helped me catch on to what she was trying to convey with certain spellings of words. This is a great, quick read full of beautiful writing and comments on humanity as a whole.

[Daniel Polansky]

I was assigned Zora Neal Hurston at some point in high school, but I didn’t read her, because I didn’t do anything anyone told me to do when I was in high school, because I was (?) an asshole. In any event—this was lots of fun. Hurston has a gift for the vernacular (I loved her Harlem Bible), an idiosyncratic viewpoint, and a knowledge of an overlooked (at the time) aspect of Americana. Sorry, Ms. Cox, you were right all along.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of these stories will trundle down the years, the title story named for a big character in it, and "Sweat," which can be called a feminist African-American story--rather like Hurston's Their Eyes. In "Sweat," the female protagonist, Delia, has the house and makes the money, by doing White folks' laundry, which her husband Sykes objects to. She also has the buckboard and horse which her husband borrows to see his mistress. Sykes has had other women since the first year of their mariage, when he would go to Orlando and spend all his money.
Now Sykes objects to Delia's work on racial grounds, but also on Sabbatarian grounds: a good Christian ought not work on Sunday, the day the story begins. Delia sorts and soaks the Whites' whites so she can get through all the laundry to deliver them next Saturday. Delia tells Sykes, "My sweat is done paid for this house...."
Neighbor men see Delia go by and tell us all we need to know about Sykes, and how they would like to treat him and his girlfriend to an old-fashioned skimmington, though they don't call it that.
When Sykes brings a menacing pet into the house, Delia threatens court action, described as it happens in Their Eyes, " Ah'm goin' to de white folks 'bout you...." The least that can be said: this story ends in justice, not without revenge, too. It is very satisfying, and ironic.

[Raul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short stories. The diverse settings from Eatonville to Damascus to Harlem was refreshingly surprising.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is said that Zora Neale Huston's work "sparked one of the major literary revivals of our time", especially among women writers. Reading this slim volume will show a reader why. So much variety of both subject matter and style! Some of these stories take place in Eatonville, Florida, some in Harlem, and one is about Herod. The author had an interest in the true, historical Herod, not just our perceptions of him. The writing here is splendid, unusual, some of it wrapped up in black man's lingo from the 1950s. Unfortunately, Hurston died young, about 59 years old, and didn't live to grace us with more stories from a mind that didn't seem to miss a thing.

The stories and the writing are unusual. I'd recommend this book to those who like literary works and can appreciate a different culture in a different time.

[Joe Bliven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only collection of Hurstons stories that I've found in stores so far, I'd like to someday find her complete published stories, because I've seen that it does exist. In the mean time this collection is an excellent selection. Her writing is so varied and always a treat, she was certainly one of the greatest American authors and it's quite a shame she has so little fiction works finished and/or published. If you've got a craving for more of this authors work and see this cheap at the shop then pick it up. If you're shopping online and have your pick from the gamut, look for something more definitive and complete.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of Zora Neale Hurston's ("Their Eyes Were Watching God")first short stories. If you don't want to read heavy southern dialect and are easily offended don't read this. I loved it. Her love of language brings you face to face with her characters. From Isie Watts who literally dances her way out of trouble to Jelly-"cause Jam don't shake" who is unsuccessfully trying to pimp himself out for his next meal, you won't forget her characters.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of eight of Zora Neale Hurston’s short stories, spanning from 1925-1942. In all of the stories I loved her use of language and dialect (the glossary towards the end was entertaining; some I knew as are now common, some I guessed, some I wouldn’t have a clue!)

My favourite was “Sweat” primarily because it was a good look at revenge and justice. I also liked “The Gilded-Six-Bits” which looks at love, betrayal and ultimately forgiveness. You can see the biblical influences in a lot of her stories. “Book of Harlem” was written as if a biblical chapter.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Rating/Review is only for "Spunk")

Even though Joe wasn't present for a lot of the short story, I liked him the best and felt bad for what he was going through. Love the superstition and foreshadow in this story, and the ending felt a bit ominous to me, almost suggesting like this pattern could continue.

[John Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories provide, not just insight into black life and culture of the day, but also Hurston's critique of it. Her critique is skillfully, and wordlessly laid out in lives of the heroes and villains she portrays. And her heroes are mostly hardworking, intelligent Black women who persevere, who see clearly through all BS and will have none of it.

[Janet Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't understand the diction in the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, I thought the storyline was very well done!

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think "Sweat," The Gilded Six Bits," and "Cock Robin Beale Street" were my favorites!

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful collection of shorts honoring clearly friends of ZNH. There is a glossary of Harlem slang at the end.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of short stories

[Kelly Is Brighid · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Jelly’s Tale” was the short story I liked best among this collection. And a description which remains with me: “Two hours went past on their rusty ankles.” Definitely recommend.

[Roe Braddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zora will always be a classic!

[Newly Wardell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vibrant stories filled with interesting characters. I dont understand how a philandering woman is excused by a man doing the same thing is worthy of death.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection

[Rose Baseil Massa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally striking — and yet I know so much of it goes over my head! I feel like I need to take a class on ZNH’s work. Adore the movement of place and people.

[Chris Brettell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

Def a mixed bag.
I enjoyed these stories the most: Sweat, The Gilded Six Bits, and Story in Harlem Slang.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurston documents Southern black lives with a deep appreciation for the culture and language. She brought me right in.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Zora Neale Hurston before and I think these short stories are a great way to start. From this small book I shall proceed merrily into other books of Ms. Hurston! It was a pity though that a fire damaged the majority of a book she had written on Herod, what was left and put at the end of this book I would have loved to have read all of it. I never went to Sunday school so I don't know how badly denegrated Herod has been over time, I'm only vaguely familiar with Herod as the first "evil" character of the brief history of Jesus on the former Easter sunday t.v. movie that used to come on many moons ago-that I watched because of Robert Powell who played Jesus-Whether or not Herod really did male-child massacre I don't know, however, Zora Neale Hurston believed he didn't and had the proof that he didn't I'm willing to believe it. As Oscar Wilde once said it is our duty to rewrite history!

[Jin]

‘‘Spunk’’ was only the third short story Zora Neale Hurston published, and it was immediately successful. The story takes place in a rural, all-black Southern town, much like Eatonville, Florida, where Hurston grew up. It is the story of a confident man who steals a weaker man’s wife, and how the husband gets his revenge after death. Like many of Hurston’s stories, it deals with the nature of marriage and with a struggle between a strong man and a weak one. Much of the story is told in dialogue, and the characters speak in a Southern African American dialect with rich, figurative language. Early critics of Hurston’s work were divided on her use of this kind of language: some were delighted that she was celebrating the language she had heard first-hand, and others felt she was advancing her career by presenting demeaning black stereotypes to a white audience.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten that I read this book 11 years ago. What I said then in my review was, "I really enjoyed this short collection of vernacular explorations and character sketches. I just wish it had been longer." I still agree with that assessment, but I think I would not characterize the stories as including "character sketches"--yes the stories are short (by definition seeing as how this is a short story collection) but the little worlds they portray are complete in themselves, and this ability to portray a microcosm in words is I think best on display in the story "Sweat". The edition I read this time includes a concluding piece of historical fiction entitled "Herod on Trial" which might raise an eyebrow or two amongst more devout readers, or perhaps draw applause from those who have grown suspicious of Biblical editorializing.

[Elizabeth Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the titular short story, "Spunk": I absolutely LOVE Zora Neale Hurston and this short story is a good introduction to her writing style. There's a lot of dialogue in this story and that dialogue can be fairly hard to understand at times if you aren't used to reading/hearing/speaking it. As a Southerner, I feel like the dialect was easier for me to pick up as I read. I'm also familiar with Hurston's writing, so that helped as well. I really like the role superstition and the black bobcat play in this story. This story also serves as a modern day tale of the tragic hero (Spunk or Joe). One aspect of this story I don't particularly like is the characterization (or lack thereof) of Lena. I would really like to know more about her and her thoughts as the struggle between Spunk and Joe unfolds.

I look forward to reading the other short stories in this collection!

[Mitch M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a bunch of short stories about small town women and their struggles with society and conflicts with their husbands and how they try to solve these situations and at the same time face critisism from the people around them. I definately would not recomend this book to anyone who is looking to be entertained. Although there are a couple of hair raising parts that do provide some excitement and relief from the general boringness (if that is even a word) of the book. But if you enjoy reding about the relationship struggles of small town women then this is the book for you. But unfortunetlly I have better things to do.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of her stories, spanning 20 years. I like short story collections that have such breadth -- they give a glimpse into the evolution of an author's style and worldview. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as an introduction to her work, but if you're already familiar with Hurston, it's a great little addition.

[Mary-kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet and horrific stories, fairy tales, and haunters. I read Hurston because her voice is so clear, and foreign, but the way she writes just wraps me up and I can see every character, even smell the world they live in, like I'm crouching behind a tree in their yards.