The American Short Story Handbook

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The Handbook of the American Short Story is a concise yet comprehensive treatment of the topic that is designed to illuminate an important literary genre that has been given short scholarly shrift over the last century. Written by a renowned literary scholar in accessible and engaging prose for students at all levels, it provides an historical overview of the topic, as well as discussion of notable American authors and individual stories. The author examines the literary history of the genre from Benjamin Franklin's "The Speech of Miss Polly Baker" in 1747 to Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" in 1819 to "The Joy Luck Club". He covers the intellectual and historical conditions that contributed to the stories of each age, the ideas and themes that emerged in the movement, and the artistic means of expression common to the era. The book includes a selection of writers chosen not only for their contributions of individual stories but for their bodies of work that advanced the boundaries of short fiction. The selected writers, including Edgar Allen Poe, Sarah Orne Jewett, Stephen Crane, Jamaica Kincaid, and Tim O'Brien, represent the chronological flow of the form, both genders, and a variety of ethnicities and nationalities. The final section of the book offers detailed exegesis of 30 great individual stories. With a glossary of important terms and a bibliography for further study, this is a seminal introduction that will expand and challenge readers' understanding of the American short story.