Short Stories I Like
Submitted by bitterms on Tue, 02/20/2001 - 10:00
Tags:
- 1)The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- 1)Roman Fever - Edith Wharton
- 2)Debbie and Julie - Doris Lessing
- 3)Fountains in the Rain - Yukio Mishima
- 4)Heat - Joyce Carol Oates
- 5)Hills Like White Elephants - Ernest Hemingway
- 6)Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? - Joyce Carol Oates
- 7)Cathedral - Raymond Carver
- 8)Paul's Case - Willa Cather
- 9)The Necklace - Guy De Maupassant
- 10)Bartleby the Scrivener - Herman Melville
Author Comments:
I've got one of those huge compilations from when I was in college and I try to read a few at a time when I can. These are my favorites so far...
of the 10 listed here, i've only read 5 but the one i can't agree with is Bartleby. (Melville really gets on my nerves.) however, since you were right on with Perkins-Gilman, Hemingway, Carver, & Maupassant, perhaps i'll give some of the others a try...
reading short stories is something i've forgotten to do since i left college--it's as if there's pressure to move on to bigger, better things--but really, they're quite rewarding. thanks for reminding me!
Anytime! As you will notice, Bartleby is listed as number 10, and is on the list because I'm a huge fan of symbolism...which I thought Melville pulled off well in this story.
Most of these I like for some of the specific characteristics. I like stories that very subtly hint at the main points through symbolism and dialogue (see Hemingway and Cather), stories that give a different perspective at the end (Lessing and Mishima) stories that can be interpreted several ways (Gilman and Oates) and stories with a twist (Maupassant and Wharton).
I'm sure there will be more to come!