The Art of the Short Story

Presents a collection of short stories by such authors as Sherwood Anderson, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce, along with analysis of their works.

From Publishers Weekly
A robust volume of 63 stories from 52 authors from 20 different countries, Gwynn and Gioia's anthology seems destined for undergraduate classrooms. Most of the editors' selections come from the usual literary heavyweights, authors like Hemingway, Chekhov, Joyce, Borges, Faulkner, Welty and Melville. But they do include a handful of more contemporary writers, such as Chinua Achebe, Ha Jin, Sandra Cisneros and Alice Munro as well. Each author receives a page-long biography, which dispenses some interesting facts (e.g., Tolstoy's infidelities, Woolf's depression, Gogol's madness, Poe's poverty, Mishima's suicide), gives a careful analysis of the author's works and sets them in the context of various literary traditions. Garcia Marquez's use of magical realism, for example, is connected to the surreal writings of Kafka, Maupassant, Cheever, Singer and Rushdie. Teachers and would-be writers will especially appreciate the "Author's Perspective" that accompanies each short story. This commentary, written by the author of the story itself, is used by the editors to illuminate the fictional text: its aims, its context or its workings. Sherwood Anderson and Raymond Carver's essays, for example, offer advice on the craft of writing. Margaret Atwood discusses Canadian identity; Alice Walker writes on race and gender; Camus discusses revolution and repression. Fitzgerald's self-interview and Cheever's "Why I Write Short Stories" both contain a comic edge, while Flannery O'Connor's essay explains the importance of religious grace in her stories. The anthology also includes instructional sections on the basic elements of short fiction, writing about fiction, critical approaches from various theoretical schools and a glossary of literary terms. With all its supporting material, the collection may seem geared for the student, yet its flexibility also allows for browsing by the casual short story reader.
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From Booklist
Short story anthologies abound, but this one has its distinctions. The selections go beyond standard writers; appearing here are Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro, two firmly established but not often anthologized Canadian writers. Sandra Cisneros sits well alongside Ha Jin, two vital contemporary writers who may not be familiar names to readers. The inclusion of Gustav Flaubert and James Baldwin highlights the unfortunate but not rare situation of short works often being overlooked by appreciators of the authors' more famous novels. Included for each story is a short commentary called "Author's Perspective." And explanations of the elements of fiction (including plot and style) are partnered with a selection of critical articles about the short fiction form. All in all, a stimulating education course for library patrons feeling inadequate in their working knowledge of the wonderful world of short stories. Brad Hooper