The short story. A quick quip that intrigues the reader and entices the mind. Many authors have built their careers on the short story. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1848) is considered in the literature world as the "father of the modern short story" filling the reader's minds with tales of mystery and horror. His work became a spring board of the minuscule moments in writing that many readers are drawn to for their petite but powerful promises of entertainment. Not every fascinating read must contain 500+ pages and take the form of a novel to make headway amongst the belletristic behemoths of today's book market.
Short Stories That Command Contemplation
Edgar Allan Poe is far from the only notable author that paved his way with the short story collection. Short stories require a skilled writer to quickly, but effortlessly, draw in the reader making the point as poignant as if it had taken many pages to write. Kate Chopin, an author known for pushing the boundaries of women's place in society, wrote and published a short story entitled Desiree's Baby (1893). This touching, yet terrifying story about women's roles in the south and the severe role race played in relationships moves the reader to tears in only three pages.
Frederich Brown's The Weapon (1951) delivers a powerful message about the human conscience and the effects of knowledge upon society. Written during a tumultuous time period for a world on the crux of nuclear development, this short story makes a reader take a hard look at the expectations and advancement of science.
Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain originally published in The New Yorker (1997), turned the heads of readers and film-makers when this powerful love story pushed the boundaries of accepted romance in a secluded western society. Each of these carefully crafted pieces captured moments in time and then delivered them to literate society.
Is the Short Story Still Stellar?
The short story has not lost its shine. Most of what is taught in the public school English text book is short stories. Why? Because the short story captures the readers mind and takes them swiftly to a new world far different from their own. The power of these pieces has not relinquished its hold on the fictional mind and it continues a dynamic dominance over the literary world.
Recently published hinging on the name of Poe himself is Peter Straub's Anthology Poe's Children, The New Horror. A compilation of titillating tales noted as a "list for anyone who wants to experience what...is the most interesting development in...literature in the last two decades" (Straub). Taking works developed over time from small magazines to major publications, this collection of short stories is sure to deliver a valuable night of reading.
Where to Start the "Short" Journey
If a "short" break from novels is a needed vacation, collections of fantastic short stories sure to captivate the reader are as close as the nearest book store. Located within the fiction books lay masterpieces ready to dazzle the creative mind. Collections range from old to new including F. Scott Fitzgeralds Tales From the Jazz Age, Stephen King's Just After Sunset, or for a variety; The Best American Short Stories (2009) contain literature not soon forgotten. The short story envelopes the reader to tell the tale of a character able to overcome it all in less than time than a trip to the store; now that is fiction worth falling for.
References:
Chopin, Kate. " Desiree's Baby Text - Desiree's Baby." eNotes - Literature Study
Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. (accessed November 17, 2009).
"Classic American Short Stories Text - Edgar Allan Poe Biography."eNotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. (accessed November 17, 2009).
"Poe's Children, Peter Straub, Book - Barnes & Noble." Barnes & Noble.com. (accessed November 17, 2009).
Straub, Peter. Poe's Children: The New Horror. 2008. Reprint, New York: Anchor, 2009.
"The New Yorker." The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/ (accessed November 17, 2009).
Cresta McGowan - I am an English teacher at Northwest High School in Clarksville, TN, I have taught 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English for the past 4 ...
