The American short story

By C. Alphonso Smith

Book Overview

America learned to speak in short forms: sharp, strange, funny, and unforgettable. Here is the map. Read it in one sitting. C. Alphonso Smith traces the rise of the nation's storytelling in The American short story, a focused american short story anthology that shows how craft, theme, and voice changed across nineteenth century american fiction and into early twentieth century literature. Rather than a mere parade of names, it highlights the elements of short fiction: compression, point of view, surprise, and the moral pressure of an ending. Smith's selection and commentary place each piece within the wider american literary tradition and the evolving short story history, making this a classic short fiction collection to browse for pleasure or to study with purpose. The result is an annotated literature anthology in the best sense: readable, contextual, and alert to what makes a story last, from the gothic intensity associated with edgar allan poe classics to the urban twist later perfected in an o henry stories collection. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions. Restored for today's and future generations. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure. For the casual reader, it offers swift encounters with masterful writing; for collectors, a cornerstone volume; and for classrooms, a dependable college literature course reader and high school reading list companion. It suits any shelf where American stories matter, and rewards rereading with fresh comparisons between regional voices, social change, and enduring narrative invention, again today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9353707447
• ISBN13: 9789353707446
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"