Short Story Month

So May is Short Story Month, and I have compiled a list of some of my favorite short stories for you to enjoy. I have not included novellas. Novellas are a different month entirely. (Okay, not really. That is a complete lie. But there should be. Novellas are amazing but nobody gives them enough credit. But that is a rant for ANOTHER DAY!) 

 

Tales for Stormy Nights

Let’s start off with ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE AUTHORS, EVER. Ever. His name is Oscar Wilde. The short “etching” is called “A Sphinx Without a Secret.” It is both highly satirical and deeply accurate. 

“A Rose For Emily,” by William Faulkner, is good to give you the willies. Faulkner is generally very confusing (anyone who has tried to read “As I Lay Dying,” will know this) primarily because of his skill is juggling upwards of thirteen characters. “A Rose For Emily,” is blissfully easy to read, but harder to wrap your brain around. 

While we’re still on the subject of WILLIES, it would never do to ignore Edgar Allan Poe. He has written numerous favorites of mine, such as “The Masque of the RedDeath,” “Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House ofUsher,” and “The Black Cat.” If Faulker can’t get you freaked out, Poe can. 

Of course, Poe has written more than just scary stories. As I recall, he has written several “satirical,” portraits as well. But they’re not as fun to read, and I find it hard to believe Poe was really enjoying himself while writing them.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” by Irving, is a classic American scary story. It’s not as scary as some of the modern movies, but hey. The originals are always best, right? 

Here’s my last creeper: “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Ladies, it can get worse after the baby is already out; this story testifies to it. But it’s not just a horror story for women. Men too can quake at how one woman undergoes a mental breakdown. 

The Dystopian Craze

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr’s “Harrison Bergeron,” follows in my new favorite trend: dystopias. Many of you have probably read it in one or another high school English course. Try reading it again. It’s better than my 11^th grade teacher gave it credit for. 

Still on the dystopia subject, Ursula LeGuin is not just famous for her fantasies and science fictions. She wrote, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” a highly intriguing look at the cost of a truly Utopian society. (Leading me to the question: Is there such a thing as a Utopia?) 

And, of course, no dystopian selection is complete without “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson.

Women Writing for Women

Do we have any feminists in the house? Then Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour,” is a must read. Short and deep, it’s another short story that most of you have probably read in high school. Go back to it. Read it aloud. Let the words sink over you. It’s just the story of an hour—and hearts can be won and lost so quickly in that short span of time. 

War Stories

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” is probably one of my favorites. It’s by a Civil war journalist named Ambrose Pierce, who went missing in Mexico at the age of 71. 

Pierce just reminded me of Tim O’Brien, and “The Things They Carried.” It’s another war story, from a different era. 

Romances

Bringing up Oscar Wilde again, “The Nightingale and the Rose,” is one of the saddest and sweetest (and most depressing…wait…isn’t ‘saddest’ just a euphemism for ‘depressing’?) stories EVER. And I mean EVER. I’m still crying about it years after reading it. 

And while I have never read this one myself, “Brokeback Mountain,” was apparently once a short story by Annie Proulx. 

Classics

Joyce. “Dubliners.” More need not be said. 

Bringing up Irving again, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “Rip Van Winkle,” cannot be underestimated. America has so few folk legends of their own; we owe Irving. Big time. Therefore I must urge you: READ HIS STUFF. 

I hope that I've given you some short story ideas. Feel free to comment with short stories of your own--I realize that my "Romance" and "Women's Lit" sections are a little on the undernourished side. 

HAVE A WONDERFUL MAY--AND READ A SHORT STORY!