Do you like short stories? I love them, both as a writer and as a reader. I’m so thrilled that they’re making a comeback in today’s world! I remember as a teenager in high school English class, some of the short stories that were taught at the time. You can probably recall these classes, too—we read many short stories and novels that couldn’t reach into our world and touch us, not at that age.
It’s odd to me that had some of the selections been different, or more age-appropriate, this might have fostered a love of reading the short story rather than dread for so many. The essay questions at the end of the story seemed hard for many of the students to understand, much less formulate answers to in order to show what they learned from the story. As high school freshmen in the 14-15 year-old age range, and with our limited knowledge of the world, it was difficult for some to be able to grasp symbolism or foreshadowing among other story elements. I realized later on that some people never grasp it, no matter how old they are. Reading with that kind of intuitive understanding is not something everyone is able to do.
Being forced to read something for a grade rather than enjoyment was something I didn’t understand. For one thing, I enjoyed reading. As with any kid, some things held my interest more than others. But I never could fathom some of my classmates who actually said, “I hate to read.”
I had some favorite short stories, even out of the ones we were forced to read. Who could forget Whitney and Rainsford in Richard Connell’s THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME? Frank Stockton’s THE LADY OR THE TIGER? Or, TO BUILD A FIRE, by Jack London?
Those stories were what inspired me to want to write “like that” and I often wondered in later years, seeing my kids’ English books and the stories they contained, where our next generation of writers would come from? There was certainly nothing “inspiring” in those stories. I was wishing there were some of the stories from “the good ol’ days” in their books, even though at the time I had been their age, many of my classmates had detested those same stories that I loved so much.
But one day, my daughter came home from school and said, “Mom, we read a story today that was so good! It’s about a guy who is trying to survive in the cold and he tries to build a fire…” And a few years later, my son couldn’t wait to tell me about a story they’d read about an island, where men were hunted…
Not everyone who loves to read wants to become a writer. So I’m wondering…was there a particular short story that you read when you were younger that made you want to write? Or even just made you become an avid reader? Since so many of us write westerns, was there a western short story that influenced you when you were younger? The one that I loved was not really a short story, but a short novel, Fred Gipson’s OLD YELLER. In later years, another one that stood out was Shirley Jackson’s THE LOTTERY.
I’m giving away a free copy of one of my short stories today, FOUND HEARTS. Be sure you leave a comment to be entered in the drawing! If you just can't wait to see if you won, here's the Amazon link!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R3MWEUC
I like all the stories you mention, and some others that were in our English textbooks were pretty good, too: Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River" (one of the Nick Adams stories, which I think are Hemingway's best work), Heinlein's "The Green Hills of Earth" (I'm still shock it was in an 8th grade English book), and one of Zenna Henderson's "People" stories, don't remember which one. I don't recall reading any Western stories for school, although I was reading many, many Western novels on my own.
ReplyDeleteJames, I always loved most of the short stories we read (I think I was about the only one--from all the griping and complaining) but there were a few I just could hardly deal with--and those questions at the end! The stories I liked, I really enjoyed answering those questions in-depth. The stories I didn't like, well...I still answered more in-depth than most of my friends, but didn't enjoy it as much. LOL I don't think we read any western stories in school, either, which really was too bad--because Shane would have been perfect and might have interested some of the boys more than what we were having to read. I've not read "Big Two-Hearted River" but it's now on my list, as well as "The Green Hills of Earth". There are so many GOOD stories out there, it always amazed me how these people who put together English textbooks arrived at the stories they chose. Thanks for coming by--I know you are busy as heck.
DeleteCheryl
Cheryl, thank you for the trip down memory lane. I confess, I read a lot of plays in my high school years as opposed to short stories. The one I remember most, "The Valiant"m although even after all these years I can't really tell you why. Another was "Poor Dad, So Sad, Momma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling so Sad". I think the title is what drew me to that one. Of course I was always a fan of O'Henry. Doris
ReplyDeleteLucky you, Doris! We had a unit called SHORT STORIES and by golly, that's what they were. I think we probably studied 1 or 2 plays a year--usually something by Shakespeare. That O'Henry title reminds me of a short story we read in college called something like, "Some of us Had Been Threatening Our Friend Colby"--it's very short--can't remember who wrote it, but it really packed a punch. I always loved O'Henry, too.
DeleteCheryl
A short story that really caught me in high school was Leiningen Versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson published in 1938. A longer motion picture version with Charlton Heston was made in 1954, The Naked Jungle. I saw it at the time at age 5 (my dad managed a theater). I immediately recognized the story when I read it years later. It inspired me, man against nature fighting insurmountable odds. He lost, but he also won. It inspired the motto I live by, I don't always win, but I never lose.
ReplyDeleteThat's fascinating, Gordo. To see something so young, and then read the story years later and put it all together--that's really unusual, and you probably realized on some level at that point that you were going to be a writer someday. That was a huge marker in your life.
DeleteCheryl
I think I was in 6th grade when I read novel, what would be called a YA, maybe an MG, today. It was about two teens left on a Pacific island in WWII and had to elude the Japanese. I've no idea what's its title was. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to write the sequel (a term I didn't know then) and of course I didn't realized that you couldn't write a sequel to someone else's work.
DeleteThat sounds like a book I'd like to read right now! So many YA books then are good books even now for adults--the lines have blurred. That's funny about wanting to go on with the next part of the story--makes me wonder how hard it must have been for that author to quit writing at that point and go on to the next project--sounds like there was more of the story that needed to be told!
DeleteI'm surprised at the number of YA/MG books on WWII. Some are from the POV of Japanese or German youths. Very interesting books. I started a YA (that I work on on the side) about a typical American "mom and apple pie" marine and a young Japanese soldier. Their squads are put on opposite ends of a small island near Guadalcanal as coastwatchers and the two groups discover each other. It turns into a deadly cat and mouse game as one sides gets the edge on the other. Alternating chapters provide the two young men's POVs, so much alike and so different. I don't know how it will end.
DeleteThat really sounds interesting, Gordo. It's getting to the point before long where WWII will not even be mentioned in history books--my kids graduated in 2005 and 2008 and it's down to about one page in their books.
DeleteCheryl
Very true Cheryl. WWII will be foggy and of little import to the next generation. Its a shame as it had so much impact on government, culture, economies, and abut everything else. It shaped today's world. In the meantime, WWII titles are still among the biggest sellers in history books.
DeleteThat's really interesting to know, Gordo. I hope the younger generations will be interested enough to read and learn about it on their own--that's about the only way they'll know. Sad that something so hugely important is so largely forgotten and overlooked.
DeleteC
Oh Cheryl, having taught high school English for just ever, you listed several of the favorites! From a favorite genre of mine, On a tad darker note, I love Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I remember my students liking the Short Story Unit the best of all because...key word, short! And thanks to you and Prairie Rose, I now have the opportunity to delve into writing short stories, and I love it. I think it's helped me to refine my craft, to keep things short and sweet, to carve out all the unnecessaries. Thanks, my friend, xoxo
ReplyDeleteTanya, did you ever have stories you had to teach that you just hated? LOL I wonder how teachers must have felt about some of those same stories, from the opposite end of the spectrum. Although I supposed there is some leeway as to what you HAVE to teach (more 'back in the day' than now) as you can't get through every single thing in the book.
DeleteI'm so glad you're here at PRP and getting the chance to write short stories--you do it very well! And really, those are a lot of fun to do--and it sure helps you understand what the "great writers" had to go through to be "great"...
Cheryl
I don't remember reading many short stories. What come to mind are plays, Oliver, Brigadoon, Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot. I read everything I could get my hands on as a kid. I was hooked on Nancy Drew's and the Hardy Boys series in grade school. Loved The Other side of Midnight, Rich Man Poor Man, the Pearl, The Good Earth, On the Beach and so many others. I got hooked on romance when I was a young wife and mother. Janet Dailey's Terms of Surrender was the first romance novel I ever read and that was it for me. I read just about every book she put out. From there I ventured off into Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts, Carol Mortimer. I enjoy writing short stories which is something new for me. My first short was A Moment in Time. It is short but tells a great story. One of my readers wrote to me that she has read it over and over. Its her turn to book to read when she is missing her husband who passed away from cancer. And this year I wrote Belle's Crossing and Snowflakes and Teardrops....both have been well received. I believe short stories have a place in or lives now more so than ever since life is so busy these days.
ReplyDeleteWOW, Barb...what a wonderful compliment on your writing, that someone turns to that story again and again and gains such comfort from it! That's a really blessing, for both of you. I read a lot of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Hardy Boys, and so much other stuff...my goodness, I don't know how I had time for anything else, I loved to read so much. LOL I loved seeing the plays--and the movies--you mentioned. Love musicals so much. Our school didn't put on a lot of plays. I remember we did The Lottery when I was in highschool. But can't remember our school ever doing musicals like so many schools do these days.
DeleteYour short stories are excellent reads and like you, I believe in this busy time we live in, there is a need and desire for the shorter reads.
Cheryl
I can't remember anything I read for school that inspired me to write. In fact, looking back at high school I think if that was my introduction to reading I never would have picked up another book. I know it's blasphemous, but Grapes of Wrath, Great Gatsby and Moby Dick just about killed me trying to get through those and do well on the tests. A book from the fifth grade, Where the Red Fern Grows, has always stayed with me.
ReplyDeleteKirsten, only minor blaspheme...I really don't know many people at all who liked or "got" Moby Dick at that point in their lives. The Great Gatsby? A big ol' yawn--The Grapes of Wrath...OK, I have to admit, I about had that book memorized by the time I was 30. We read it in high school. We read it in 2 college classes. We saw the movie. The Grapes of Wrath--Oklahoma--by golly, you are going to READ THE GRAPES OF WRATH! LOL I will say, I thought it totally inappropriate for high school (with the ending--the teacher had to just gloss over the ending and not delve into any symbolism, etc.) By the time we read it in college, I was much more able to see the meanings throughout the story. Oddly enough, Where the Red Fern Grows also had to do with Oklahoma, but we never had to read that in school here. Weird, huh? Both my kids did, though.
DeleteCheryl
Cheryl--you have a rare talent of writing a blog post that few have. Every time you write a post, you make it personal, in first person, and even though I've read many good posts that really sound like it came from Wikipedia, making a post personal..first person and using "I" makes much more of an impact. I don't mean to denigrate any other person's blog post, but I think I have said more than once...somehow, make it personal.
ReplyDeleteAnd so..in High School English, our 50s style teacher, Mrs. Hair, took us to the library to find a book to read, the goal being to write an essay about it.
Well, I remember wandering up and down the stacks, not knowing what to look for, when Mrs. Hair met me in-between the stacks. She told me, 'I know a book I think you might like.' I do not remember the title, Cheryl, but I remember the story--set in Russia in the winter-- a group of young people riding home in a horse drawn sled over the snow, and a pack of wolves following, and jumping and grabbing some of the teens off into the snow, and devouring them...lord, it makes me shiver to this day.
Yes, there are great ways to make other want to read. the book.
Thanks.
Oh...Celia...I wonder if that's The Interlopers? I can't remember. Will have to look it up. Thank you dear friend for your very kind words--I really like talking to my readers as if we're all just sitting around the table having a conversation. I hope that's how it comes across. Mrs. Hair was a very astute studier of personalities, it seems--and that might have been one of HER favorite stories, as well. Now you have made me want to find that story--got to go in search...
DeleteThanks for stopping by--I always love your thoughtful comments.
Cheryl
"The Last Leaf" by O. Henry is still one of my favorites. It has such a bittersweet and emotional ending. (A struggling artist's selfless act brings hope to a dying girl.) To this day, I strive for that little twinge at the end of my stories.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful to read a story that stays with you forever? That's how I felt about LOST SISTER by Dorothy M. Johnson--who also wrote THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (an awful disappointment, in my opinion--probably the one case I can think of instantly where I loved the movie better than the book). LOST SISTER is one of those stories you read and you just can't get it out of your mind. Sounds like THE LAST LEAF is, too.
DeleteCheryl
Although I was led to F. Scot Fitzgerald because it was assigned in high school, I soon became a big fan of his short stories. His stories about the excesses of the privileged fascinated me. The Beautiful and the Damned was one of those short stories that brings out the incredible elitism of the people in high society and their sadly lacking sensitivity to the devastation of the working class. I may never have read his work if it hadn't been for a school assignment. What a loss that would have been.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby--but not in high school. So many of these stories are more enjoyable at an older age--what a difference even 2-3 years make in the maturity, learning and understanding of a teenager! Of course everyone matures and learns at different rates, but as a whole, I think it's really hard for most teenagers to understand the irony, symbolism and foreshadowing in many of the assignments they're given to read--whereas, if they'd only had another few years of life experiences they could grasp it all so much easier.
DeleteI have not read The Beautiful and the Damned, but it sounds like another one to add to my list. There are some wonderful short stories out there!
Cheryl
Wonderful post Cheryl!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember short stories I read when I was young. I loved to read, but rarely what was assigned in English. My favorite story was "Pride and Prejudice" which I read on my own when I was about 13. Read it over and over after that. I didn't realize how difficult it was to read until recently when my daughter read it in school. She didn't like it. The prose was hard to swallow, but when I was a child it just flowed right through me. It's hard to say why a story speaks to a person, but doesn't to another. Another book that made an impact, like Kirsten, was "Where The Red Fern Grows." I did read short stories when I studied German in college. Kafka's Metamorphosis and one about an old man and the sea. Was that Hemingway? I can't remember now. My husband and I still quote that story today. Barb's comment is wonderful, and I think why we should all keep trying at what we're doing. You never know who will read your work and be inspired, comforted, or changed because of it.
Kristy, I don't remember the ones I read when I was really young, but when we were in highschool, I remember reading Bartleby, the Scrivener--which no one cared about or understood. I think a lot of the mistakes of teaching are in one huge facet: Not teaching the history that was happening at the time the stories were being written. If you don't know that William Blake was an activist against child labor in England and what was happening on that front, you can't truly understand the meaning of his poem "Little Lamb, Who Made Thee?" and some of the others. SO many authors wrote about the things that were happening in their world--some of it was veiled, and some of it was overt. But with no knowledge of those times and the history that was happening, the reader can't have the understanding that's truly necessary.
DeleteI read Kafka's Metamorphosis in college, and Candide...of course these are all short stories that everyone thinks are necessary but that leads to another question: Who decides what stories are classics, and necessary to pass down through the ages to the next generation? LOL
My daughter's favorite story for many years was Pride and Prejudice. I think she read everything by Jane Austen. And she was like you--read it early on and just loved it. But even as she grew older so many of her friends didn't like it. I bought her a beautiful leather-bound book of Jane Austen stories--a treasure! LOL Thanks for coming by Kristy.
About Barb's comment, like you, I would be so thrilled if someone treasured my work that much--to call it her "go to story" when she needed to read something for comfort.
Cheryl
Cheryl, I have to ditto Kristen as I can't remember any books I read in high school or even college that influenced me to want to write. Growing up, my mother always had chores for me to do and I found little time to read--mostly at night when I was to be sleeping. And I don't remember is I ever read many short stories. From an early age I did love Cinderella (Lordy I still have that book) and any book with a dog in it, Lassie. Old Yeller,etc.. Throughout the school yrs. I was more into math and science and taking dancing or playing the piano, and of course sports. Early in my teens I read The Diary of Ann Frank and I have to say that was the first book to have any real impact on me. I ended up reading it over and over as it touched me so deeply. I think I read that book numerous times and saw the movie just as many. Actually until I broke my back when in my 30's I had my nose in medical books and had never read a romance. My friend loaned me some--JoAnna Lindsey, Kathleen Woodwiss, Lyverle Spencer and Nora Roberts. BINGO! I was hooked. When did I feel the urge to write a novel? When (can't and won't say who the author was) I read one that was a beautiful, heartfelt, moving historical romance only to have an extremely rushed ending. That's when I came up with a better ending and started writing. Only over the past few yrs. have I read the shorter stories and I really do enjoy them, esp. when there are several in one book. And as you know I've only recently tried my hand at writing a short story for Cowboy Kisses. It was much harder to condense my words than I thought it would be, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and intend to do some more. Everyone at PRP, you, Livia and all the authors are so enthusiastic and helpful that it gave me courage to try a short story. And I'm so happy I did. Your blog was very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteBev, it sounds like we might have had the same mother! LOL Chores...tons of them...I guess that's why I didn't make my kids help much around the house. I remember how resentful I was while everyone else was outside playing--I was either doing chores, homework, or piano practice. I had a task master for a piano teacher, and when I started playing the flute, too, I spent just about every spare minute practicing one or the other.
DeleteBut I remember those stories in our English Literature book in high school and how the groans would resound through the room when we'd be assigned some of those stories. LOL
I remember in college, one of the stories we had to read was Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants--it's very short and I hated it. When I read it, I didn't understand what "subtext" was. I was 18 years old, just out of highschool, and still too young to realize what was really going on in that story. And I had a teacher who I don't think understood it, either. Later, I had it in another class with a teacher who explained what was going on and oh, my gosh...my eyes were opened, and I just remember thinking, "WOW, why didn't the other professor explain all this?" That story was one I later used in my fiction writing classes--it was really exciting to see my students realize what the conversation was really about between the two lovers.
I'm so glad you started reading romance novels. Darn, I hate those awful rushed endings, too! But in that case, it was a good thing because it led you to try your hand at writing. I really enjoyed your story in Cowboy Kisses, Bev. Now that we know you can do it, you're going to have your hands full in the future! LOL
Cheryl
AND, my winner of FOUND HEARTS is..........
ReplyDeleteVONN MCKEE!!!!
Thanks to everyone for coming by and commenting. It's so good to see each and every one of you here!
Cheryl
For some reason, "Metamorphosis," a bizarre short by Franz Kafka that was required reading in high school, has stuck with me all these years. On a more contemporary level, I HIGHLY recommend reading "The Art of Candle Dipping" by Judy Alter. It's a western about the lasting effects of a Comanche raid on a North Texas farm family. You'll never forget it.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, I've got that (The Art of Candle Dipping) on my kindle but have not read it yet. Sounds like I need a "short story reading day" in the near future. LOL
DeleteCheryl
I was just saying on facebook that two of my favorite shorts were Gift of the Magi and Ransom of Red Chief by O' Henry. Another more frightening tale was A Rose for Miss Emily by Faulkner. To me shorts are harder to write to perfection. You only have so much room to create characters, situations, and that all important black moment when life hangs in the balance. My hats off to authors who do it well. The great thing about shorts is that it exposes readers to new writers they might not have talked in longer format. Thanks for writing this blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by, Tessa! I love O. Henry stories! I will read A Rose for Miss Emily when I get a chance--I've never read that one before. Yes, shorts are hard to write, as you say because it's hard to get everything to work out at a good pace and not feel rushed or contrived. I'm so glad you came by, Tessa! It's great to see you here. Don't be a stranger!
DeleteCheryl
I love short stories! Always have. Taught them in junior high and high school English classes. Love the format -- the challenge of keeping a story tight and yet developing something raw and gritty. Most have already mentioned the stories I've loved. Others include The Necklace, The Lottery, Monkey's Paw. And I, too, enjoyed Great Gatsby. Loved everything by Willa Cather and the short novels like The Day No Pigs Would Die and Red Badge of Courage....I think most of those early stories stuck with me from childhood on.....and when I taught a unit on short stories, I got pretty excited. We also wrote short stories then....an easy way to incorporate creative writing for students. The first few things I sold early on were short stories -- for several children's anthologies and for Christian magazines.
ReplyDeleteOh, Gail, I loved The Necklace--I'd forgotten that one! Another one I really liked was A Jury of Her Peers. And The Yellow Wallpaper! So many good ones! We never read The Day No Pigs Would Die, but both my kids did and they both really loved that story.
DeleteI always love to hear from English teachers about what their favorite stories were. And how they handled those students who really either hated reading altogether or couldn't care less. Those are the ones we have to figure out a way to interest in reading.
Thanks for commenting, Gail. I always love to hear what you have to say.
Cheryl
I forgot to mention Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" now mentioned and "The Open Boat", but it's Crane's poetry I have truly loved. They are so quirky and funny. Just had to come back and mention that.
ReplyDeleteYes, Red Badge of Courage was a good one, Sarah. I never read The Open Boat. Man, I'm getting a whole 'nother reading list from this post! LOL
DeleteCheryl
Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThere are so many worthwhile short stories and novellas that everyone else has already mentioned, and I agree with, that I won't rehash them. I will add that Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' was just weird enough to be memorable, as Kathleen mentioned. "The Monsters are due on Maple Street" and "The Zoo" had redeeming qualities for me, also. "The Minister's Black Veil" by Hawthorne was one I liked for it's dual meanings.
But I can't even explain how much I hated (loathe to this day) "The Scarlet Ibis", "All Summer in a Day", and "The Rocking Horse Winner". They practically ruined me on the short story genre.
I hated The Rocking Horse Winner, too, Kaye. I bet there's someone out there talking about that being their favorite story, though...somewhere. LOL Yep, there are tons of wonderful stories--so many we haven't mentioned. I remember when we read The Lady or the Tiger, and how I truly understood so much when I finished reading that story--I think we read that in 8th grade and I just had this "WOW" feeling--there are certain moments I remember when I learned something and knew I really understood it, and then I could apply it to other things I read. I'm sure everyone has those moments, but I just remember how exhilarating it was!
DeleteCheryl
I remember a lot of short stories from high school... the one about the ants that Gordo mentioned, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", Poe's "Cask of Amontillado".... but the one story that stuck with me the most, and affected me most at the time, was "Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets" by Jack Finney (written in 1956), about a workaholic who has an important document blow out the window, then he goes after it and gets stuck out on the ledge of a skyscraper... where he realizes all the important things in life he has neglected, and may now lose forever. It was incredibly realistic, and suspenseful, and it really grabbed me.
ReplyDeleteTroy, I've heard about that story but haven't read it. Oh, I loved The Lottery and the Cask of Amontillado, too.
DeleteI am thinking I need to compile yet another list of great reads from this post and start working through it--after all, most of the works mentioned that I haven't read are short stories, so I'm thinking maybe I could read one a week? Maybe? LOL
Thanks for coming by and commenting. I know you are crazy-busy right now!
Cheryl