"This is all organized and thought-provoking collection of materials on what is no longer regarded as an 'underrated' form". -- Kliatt
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
For understanding, not writing, short stories:
In short (pun intended), this is one of the two or three best books out there on the theory of short story (see also _Short Story Theory at a Crossroads_ ed. by Lohafer and Clarey).
There are countless books out there for helping you craft your own short fiction. This book is not for that, nor does it make any claims to this purpose.
Instead, it is an excellent, critical look at the history and current state of the genre of the short story. If this is at all your interest, you must have this... more info
Sorry, John:
Just a note to my colleague John to say I am sorry he did not find the book useful. I did not intend it for creative writing classes, but for students interested in the generic nature of the short story. Perhaps he might find the earlier version of the book more helpful, but this book does represent the best current thinking about the short story I could find. And thanks to John for at least a kind word about my own essay. Charles May
Great book, but difficult:
John Jr (below) obviously has a little chip on his shoulder about writing theory and probably about academia.
No, this is not a how-to book filled with exercises and tips and explanations of different techniques. It is a book for the advanced student or writer, and discusses issues involved with the short story, placing the form in assorted contexts and dissecting it from those positions. It is not easy reading, but neither is it impregnable to the thoughtful reader. It will not tell you how to write... more info
Not very insightful about short stories...:
If you are expecting a book about helpful criticism and technique of writing short stories, then do not buy this book. I've read most of the essays in it for my creative writing class, so I feel confident enough to say that this book is almost useless. I've come to the conclusion that the writers of these essays simply like to hear themselves talk! One of the essays even uses mathematical equations to describe short story theory!
The community of short story theorists is very small (they are probably all... more info
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