20 Short Stories You Should Read

[Mara]

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)



Genre: Surrealism

Slowly Gregor pushed the chair toward the door, then let go of it, caught hold of the door for support—the pads at the ends of his little legs were somewhat sticky—and rested against it for a moment after his efforts. Then he set himself to turning the Key in the lock with his mouth. It seemed, unfortunately, that he didn't really have any teeth—what was he supposed to grip the Key with?—but on the other hand his jaws were certainly very strong; with their help he did manage to get the Key turning, heedless of the fact that he was undoubtedly damaging himself, since a brown fluid issued from his mouth, flowed over the Key, and dripped onto the floor.

Summary: A man turns into a bug. Maybe.

Why it's great: This is another long-short story, and it's quite a ride. Grotesque, insightful, and unnerving, it's sure to give you the willies if you read it just before bed. For all that, though, this isn't a horror story. It's the psychological study of a man who has been trapped and dehumanized by his family, his job, and his life.

You can read it: here.

[Hugh_Grant]

I've taught "Young Goodman Brown" so much that I've grown weary of it, but its pedagogical value is great. (See also Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily.")

I'm with you on Carver. "Cathedral" is in a gazillion freshman anthologies. I've never cared for it.

Sorry, but I don't like "The Yellow Wallpaper." I'll be interested to see if another frequently anthologized feminist short story is in your list.

[Mara]

I've taught "Young Goodman Brown" so much that I've grown weary of it, but its pedagogical value is great. (See also Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily.")

...I forgot "A Rose for Emily." Hey, everyone, read "A Rose for Emily"! It's good.

[Hugh_Grant]

My colleagues who love Faulkner hate "A Rose for Emily" because it is so un-Faulkneresque.

I use it to teach plot, setting, symbolism, characters--just about every element of literature can be explored.

[Mara]

The Rats in the Walls by H. P. Lovecraft (1923)



Genre: Weird Fiction

These dreams were not wholesome, but horribly like the one I had had the night before. I saw again the twilit grotto, and the swineherd with his unmentionable fungous beasts wallowing in filth, and as I looked at these things they seemed nearer and more distinct -- so distinct that I could almost observe their features. Then I did observe the flabby features of one of them -- and awakened with such a scream... But I did not remember myself till later. Ultimate horror often paralyses memory in a merciful way.

Summary: A man begins to notice strange things about his inherited ancestoral home.

Why it's great: Oh, Lovecraft. You antisocial, racist, classist bastard. It's hard to argue that Lovecraft was the master of a certain kind of story, but it's hard to work around his obvious personality flaws.

I think I like this story because his flaws actually become essential to the plot. The main character is an antisocial, racist, classist bastard, which is what propels the story forward.

You can read it: here.

Also Try: Lovecraft's portfolio is quite, quite vast. His quality goes back and forth, but if you like his style, there's plenty to find.

[Mara]

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990)



Genre: War Fiction

They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. They carried shameful memories. They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture. They carried their reputations. They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment. They crawled into tunnels and walked point and advanced under fire. Each morning, despite the unknowns, they made their legs move. They endured. They kept humping. They did not submit to the obvious alternative, which was simply to close the eyes and fall. So easy, really. Go limp and tumble to the ground and let the muscles unwind and not speak and not budge until your buddies picked you up and lifted you into the chopper that would roar and dip its nose and carry you off to the world. A mere matter of falling, yet no one ever fell. It was not courage, exactly; the object was not valor. Rather, they were too frightened to be cowards.

Summary: A list of things, both physical and emotional, carried by a platoon of soldiers in Vietnam.

Why it's so great: O'Brien, who was actually in Vietnam, brings a sense of realism and immediacy to the story. He sympathizes with these men without romanticizing them.

You can read it: here, or in the book of the same name (shown above.)

Also check out: the rest of the book. If you only read one other story, make it Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.

[NickGlass]

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury (1954)

I adore this story--I've read it roughly twenty times. I took a Novel Into Film class in college and, as one of my final projects, I adapted this into a screenplay. It was an extremely interesting assignment.

[NickGlass]

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990)

Also check out: the rest of the book. If you only read one other story, make it Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.

I do not like this one very much. Details are a bit hazy, but I recall find the character transformation awfully heavy-handed.

Speaking of heavy-handed, if Stephen Crane's The Open Boat appears on this list...well, let me not get ahead of myself before the list is finished.

[Mara]

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor (1955)



Genre: Southern Gothic

"Turn to the right, it was a wall," The Misfit said, looking up again at the cloudless sky. "Turn to the left, it was a wall. Look up it was a ceiling, look down it was a floor. I forget what I done, lady. I set there and set there, trying to remember what it was I done and I ain't recalled it to this day. Oncet in a while, I would think it was coming to me, but it never come."

Summary: A grandmother, driving through Georgia on a vacation with her son's family, has a fateful encounter.

Why it's great: This is O'Connor's masterpiece, and it packs a punch. The characterizations of the sanctimonious, manipulative grandmother and the befuddled, embarassed Misfit are beautifully rendered. And, after reading this story a dozen times, I'm still breathless during the last couple of pages. This is an essential read.

You can read it: here.

Also try: Revelation

[ledfloyd]

i just read this a day or two ago and i had to read it twice in a row. devastating.

[Mara]

I do not like this one very much. Details are a bit hazy, but I recall find the character transformation awafully heavy-handed.

That particular story I think falls into the realm of surrealism. It's a trip.

Speaking of heavy-handed, if Stephen Crane's The Open Boat appears on this list...well, let me not get ahead of myself before the list is finished.

Haven't read it. Bad?

By the way, these stories are listed alphabetically by author, so y'all can start filling in the blanks if I missed one of your favorites.

[D_Davis]

I really like Flannery O'Conner. One of my favorite authors of general fiction.

[Hugh_Grant]

Speaking of heavy-handed, if Stephen Crane's The Open Boat appears on this list...well, let me not get ahead of myself before the list is finished.

Hee hee. I taught this story one time--and one time only. The reaction was overwhelmingly negative.

[Amnesiac]

Out of all the ones posted, I have read:

The Metamorphosis, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Lottery, and Hills Like White Elephants. I remember them all being really great. However, they deserve re-reads since it's been about two years since I last read any of them.

[D_Davis]

Crossing my fingers for a mention of Robert W. Chambers, Arthur Machen, or William Hope Hodgson, or even an MR James or Edith Wharton ghost story...

[trotchky]

the things they carried is one of my favorite books. great selection.

[megladon8]

Some great ones here, Mara. Can't complain about your Lovecraft choice

[Sven]

I'm an enormous Lovecraft fan, and Rats in the Walls is very easily my least favorite story. I'm surprised you chose it.

[Qrazy]

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892)



Genre: Gothic Horror, Feminist Literature



Summary: Suffering from a "nervous" condition, a woman is isolated in the upper rooms of a vacation house and forced to rest. She becomes increasingly paranoid and is particularly bothered by the wallpaper in the room, which seems sinister.

Why it's great: The creepiness and atmosphere is as well done, in my opinion, as Poe or Lovecraft. Gilman does a great job of revealing more to the reader than the somewhat naive journalist recounts. (She sees bars on the windows and rings for chains on the wall, and so assumes the room was used as some sort of gymnasium.)

More than a scary story, though, The Yellow Wallpaper tackles some pretty serious social issues. Our narrator is treated like a spoiled child by her husband, despite the fact that she is genuinely ill, and as she becomes more and more psychotic, her subconcious becomes more and more rebellious to his controlling nature.

In my opinion, this story is criminally underread.

You can read it: here.

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Show Spoiler

I love that amazing line near the end where she is annoyed by the presence of her collapsed husband and the fact that she has to step over/go around him to trace the wall paper.

]

[Qrazy]

The Open Boat is a quality short story. Yes it's heavy handed. Fuck you all.

[Qrazy]

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)



Genre: Surrealism



Summary: A man turns into a bug. Maybe.

Why it's great: This is another long-short story, and it's quite a ride. Grotesque, insightful, and unnerving, it's sure to give you the willies if you read it just before bed. For all that, though, this isn't a horror story. It's the psychological study of a man who has been trapped and dehumanized by his family, his job, and his life.

You can read it: here.

Have you read The Hunger Artist? That one is great too.

[Qrazy]

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (1927)

Good call. Since you've done Faulkner and Hemingway, Fitzgerald also has a few good short stories, one of which I hope shows up.

[Hugh_Grant]

The Open Boat is a quality short story. Yes it's heavy handed. Fuck you all.

I don't mind "The Open Mind," and I especially like the tale of the real-life situation that inspired it, but my students HATED it with a bloody passion. I didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the semester.

[Qrazy]

I don't mind "The Open Mind," and I especially like the tale of the real-life situation that inspired it, but my students HATED it with a bloody passion. I didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the semester.

No frowny, I meant fuck you all in a jovial manner.

[dreamdead]

Yeah, Crane's "The Open Boat" impressed the hell out of me when I first read it in college. Taut and gripping throughout, and the way it weaves a philosophical statement about nature's indifference toward man is still haunting to me.

Kudos for the O'Brien story collection. One of the best.