Major American Short Stories

by A. Walton Litz (Editor)

Strongly emphasizing the works of major writers such as Hawthorne, Poe, James, Irving, Twain, and Faulkner, this latest edition of a remarkably successful text ranges from the traditional to the modern experimental fictions of Barth, Barthelme, and Coover. Edited by one of the most prominent experts in the field, the third edition addresses the needs of a changing readership by presenting more works by women, writers of color, and contemporary authors, including Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Zora Neale Hurston, Robert Stone, Raymond Carver, Alice Walker, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Louise Erdrich. Preceding each section is an introductory essay discussing individual works and the development of the genre, and biographical and bibliographical notes for each author are also provided. American Short Stories, 3/e is the definitive source for exploring the full range of American contributions to the short story.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Anthologies, American

896 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Mike Bright]

This is a collection of short stories by 34 different American authors. Stories range from the mid-1800s to the mid to late 1900s. They are grouped chronologically and Dr. Litz provides some summary and analysis of technique between groupings.

This was an interesting read, but few of the stories were compelling for me. As a scientist/tech guy, I readily admit my appreciation for literature is not high, so I probably missed a lot in these stories. In particular, the more modern ones were not enjoyable, as they were too meta for my tastes.

However, I appreciated the chance to read a wide range of authors.

[Jeremy Winter]

A great collection with great background info. This was required for an American Short-Story course I took in 1994, and I've used it as a reference ever since.

[Jo]

Even if I didn't love all of the stories, I did love all of the class discussions about the stories.

[Dwight]

Incredible collection of authors, but several of the stories just don't seem to have the same effect as they probably did when first published. Still provides a solid foundation though.

[Helen Pugsley]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14601402