Before I start, I should mention that you are going to notice a few things about this list that reflect my preferences as a writer. It shouldn't come as a shock on this kind of blog, but I figured I would tell you that all of these stories are classics and most would fit in the horror genre, though they aren't the dripping with gore you would expect from modern horror. So, you have your shot to bugger off (I love Britishisms) if you do not like classic horror.
Oh, I should also note that the free versions I have posted here are current as of today. I have no idea what rights the sites hosting them have to the stories or if the stories are in the public domain, with the exception of Poe, which is certainly public domain. Please let me know if one goes down or if you know it is posted illegally.
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson (1948)
I am going to go ahead and start with the lady of the hour. You may know this story, you may not, but Shirley Jackson broke right into what was largely a boy's club with her "The Lottery." This creepy short story is a very quick read and well worth it. I've already reviewed it, if you want to read more about it here. However, I suggest using your reading time taking in the actual story, which you can find here.
"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
I had to refrain from filling this entire post with Poe links as all of his work is available online. (I love you, public domain.) When you follow the link for "The Black Cat," check out the rest of the site, which contains many more stories. I chose this one to highlight for one reason only. It scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. While I am an atheist and I think I always have been, I really wanted to believe in things like ghosts, bad luck, aliens coming to Earth, etc. I like to be scared. Therefore, when I read "The Black Cat," I let it be feasible. That, in turn, led to walls being creepy to me. Count how many walls you see today and imagine what that was like for my very little self. I know . . . awesome. Now, for your reading pleasure, click here for some chills.
"Nightfall" by Isaac Asimov (1941)
"Nightfall," and Asimov's writing in general if we're to be honest, is really cool because it is science fiction horror. This story takes us to another planet where the attributes of the planet itself allow Asimov to explore the heart of man's most innate fear -- the darkness. This is a very well developed story for being of the short story genre. Enjoy it here.
"The Dunwich Horror" by H.P. Lovecraft (1928)
Lovecraft wrote very many great short stories. I chose to add "The Dunwich Horror" for a few reasons. Firstly, it takes place in a fictional town in my home state. Secondly, the name Arkham derives from this story and I'm a Batman fan. Thirdly, it is a great example of the Lovecraftian universe. You will find his famous Necronomicon and Cthulhu here.
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry (1905)
This story is quite different from the others I have posted here, but it struck me so much when I read it as a kid that it has to be one of the best short stories of my lifetime. "The Gift of the Magi" is about family, love and sacrifice. Coming from a large family and focusing a lot of my life on them makes me appreciate the kindness and support those of us who are lucky in family have available to us. Being poor can help you appreciate the story as well. Before I ruin it for you with my lack of literary prowess, go ahead and read O. Henry's masterpiece here.
Showing posts with label Shirley Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shirley Jackson. Show all posts
Short Story Review: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is one of the most chilling short stories of the 20th century. It is not horror, but it is horrifying. It is not religious, but it is a commentary on blind tradition. It is not violent, but it hints at a violence that is intolerable to most of us. All in all, it is just a few pages that are well worth the effort it takes to read them. The brevity itself lends yet another element to the story, as it amazingly needs no more words to say quite a lot.
This paragraph is going to be a bit of a spoiler. Sorry, it is hard to write about such a short story without spoiling anything. You can go ahead and skip to the next. I promise I will stop my spoiling short of the next paragraph. "The Lottery" surrounds an eponymous event that is described with such complete lack of emotional involvement by the writer that the reader is forced to draw all of their own conclusions about emotions and morality with the sudden realization that comes at the end -- these casually talking people are figuratively drawing straws on who is going to get stoned to death and no one is going to stop short of throwing stones, even if it is at Mommy. It adds up to a scathing, though utterly simple, look at the ignorance of blindly following tradition for the sake of tradition.
There is not much to say about "The Lottery" that the story does not say for itself. Jackson used as few words as possible to tell a story that is much more complex in its ideas than it is in its scope. It is one of the few stories that cannot be properly dissected in fewer words than the story itself. I really have no words for the level of sophistication in simplicity that she achieved and can only urge you to read this story, if you have not yet done so.
Shelly Barclay
This paragraph is going to be a bit of a spoiler. Sorry, it is hard to write about such a short story without spoiling anything. You can go ahead and skip to the next. I promise I will stop my spoiling short of the next paragraph. "The Lottery" surrounds an eponymous event that is described with such complete lack of emotional involvement by the writer that the reader is forced to draw all of their own conclusions about emotions and morality with the sudden realization that comes at the end -- these casually talking people are figuratively drawing straws on who is going to get stoned to death and no one is going to stop short of throwing stones, even if it is at Mommy. It adds up to a scathing, though utterly simple, look at the ignorance of blindly following tradition for the sake of tradition.
There is not much to say about "The Lottery" that the story does not say for itself. Jackson used as few words as possible to tell a story that is much more complex in its ideas than it is in its scope. It is one of the few stories that cannot be properly dissected in fewer words than the story itself. I really have no words for the level of sophistication in simplicity that she achieved and can only urge you to read this story, if you have not yet done so.
Shelly Barclay
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