A Companion to the American Short Story (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

__A Companion to the American Short Story__ traces the development of this versatile literary genre over the past 200 years. * Sets the short story in context, paying attention to the interaction of cultural forces and aesthetic principles * Contributes to the ongoing redefinition of the American canon, with close attention to the achievements of women writers as well as such important genres as the ghost story and detective fiction * Embraces diverse traditions including African-American, Jewish-American, Latino, Native-American, and regional short story writing * Includes a section focused on specific authors and texts, from Edgar Allen Poe to John Updike Content: Chapter 1 The Emergence and Development of the American Short Story (pages 1–19): Alfred BendixenChapter 2 Poe and the American Short Story (pages 20–34): Benjamin F. FisherChapter 3 A Guide to Melville's “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (pages 35–49): Steven T. RyanChapter 4 Towards History and Beyond: Hawthorne and the American Short Story (pages 50–67): Alfred BendixenChapter 5 Charles W. Chesnutt and the Fictions of a “New” America (pages 68–77): Charles DuncanChapter 6 Mark Twain and the American Comic Short Story (pages 78–90): David E. E. SloaneChapter 7 New England Local?Color Literature: A Colonial Formation (pages 91–104): Josephine DonovanChapter 8 Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Feminist Tradition of the American Short Story (pages 105–117): Martha J. CutterChapter 9 The Short Stories of Edith Wharton (pages 118–132): Donna CampbellChapter 10 The Short Stories of Stephen Crane (pages 133–151): Paul SorrentinoChapter 11 Kate Chopin (pages 152–170): Charlotte RichChapter 12 Frank Norris and Jack London (pages 171–186): Jeanne Campbell ReesmanChapter 13 From “Water Drops” to General Strikes: Nineteenth? and Early Twentieth?Century Short Fiction and Social Change (pages 187–214): Andrew J. FurerChapter 14 The Twentieth Century: A Period of Innovation and Continuity (pages 215–223): James NagelChapter 15 The Hemingway Story (pages 224–243): George MonteiroChapter 16 William Faulkner's Short Stories (pages 244–255): Hugh RuppersburgChapter 17 Katherine Anne Porter (pages 256–276): Ruth M. AlvarezChapter 18 Eudora Welty and the Short Story: Theory and Practice (pages 277–294): Ruth D. WestonChapter 19 The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald: Structure, Narrative Technique, Style (pages 295–315): Kirk CurnuttChapter 20 “The Look of the World”: Richard Wright on Perspective (pages 316–327): Mikko TuhkanenChapter 21 Small Planets: The Short Fiction of Saul Bellow (pages 328–344): Gloria L. CroninChapter 22 John Updike (pages 345–365): Robert M. LuscherChapter 23 Raymond Carver in the Twenty?First Century (pages 366–379): Sandra Lee KleppeChapter 24 Multi?Ethnic Female Identity and Denise Chavez's The Last of the Menu Girls (pages 380–388): Karen WeekesChapter 25 Landscape as Haven in American Women's Short Stories (pages 389–407): Leah B. GlasserChapter 26 The American Ghost Story (pages 408–424): Jeffrey Andrew WeinstockChapter 27 The Detective Story (pages 425–435): Catherine Ross NickersonChapter 28 The Asian American Short Story (pages 436–449): Wenying XuChapter 29 The Jewish American Story (pages 450–465): Andrew FurmanChapter 30 The Multiethnic American Short Story (pages 466–481): Molly Crumpton WinterChapter 31 “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” American Restlessness and the Short?Story Cycle (pages 482–501): Jeff Birkenstein The Emergence And Development Of The American Short Story / Alfred Bendixen -- Poe And The American Short Story / Benjamin F. Fisher -- A Guide To Melville's Bartleby, The Scrivener / Steven T. Ryan -- Towards History And Beyond: Hawthorne And The American Short Story / Alfred Bendixen -- Charles W. Chesnutt And The Fictions Of A New America / Charles Duncan -- Mark Twain And The American Comic Short Story / David E.e. Sloane -- New England Local-color Literature: A Colonial Formation / Josephine Donovan -- Charlotte Perkins Gilman And The Feminist Tradition Of The American Short Story / Martha J. Cutter -- The Short Stories Of Edith Wharton / Donna Campbell -- The Short Stories Of Stephen Crane / Paul Sorrentino -- Kate Chopin / Charlotte Rich -- Frank Norris And Jack London / Jeanne Campbell Reesman -- From Water Drops To General Strikes: Nineteenth- And Early Twentieth-century Short Fiction And Social Change / Andrew J. Furer --^ The Twentieth Century: A Period Of Innovation And Continuity / James Nagel -- The Hemingway Story / George Monteiro -- William Faulkner's Short Stories / Hugh Ruppersburg -- Katherine Anne Porter / Ruth M. Alvarez -- Eudora Welty And The Short Story: Theory And Practice / Ruth D. Weston -- The Short Stories Of F. Scott Fitzgerald: Structure, Narrative Technique, Style / Kirk Curnutt -- The Look Of The World: Richard Wright On Perspective / Mikko Tuhkanen -- Small Planets: The Short Fiction Of Saul Bellow / Gloria L. Cronin -- John Updike / Robert M. Luscher -- Raymond Carver In The Twenty-first Century / Sandra Lee Kleppe -- Multi-ethnic Female Identity And Denise Chávez's The Last Of The Menu Girls / Karen Weekes -- Landscape As Haven In American Women's Short Stories / Leah B. Glasser -- The American Ghost Story / Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock -- The Detective Story / Catherine Ross Nickerson -- The Asian American Short Story / Wenying Xu --^ The Jewish American Story / Andrew Furman -- The Multiethnic American Short Story / Molly Crumpton Winter -- Should I Stay Or Should I Go? American Restlessness And The Short-story Cycle / Jeff Birkenstein. Edited By Alfred Bendixen And James Nagel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. A Companion to the American Short Story traces the development of this versatile literary genre over the past two centuries. Written by leading critics in the field, and edited by two major scholars, it explores a wide range of writers, from Edgar Allen Poe and Edith Wharton, Kate Chopin, and Charles Chesnutt at the end of the nineteenth century. In the twentieth the focus is on such important Modern writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Richard Wright before moving into the contemporary period with essays on Raymond Carver, Saul Bellow, and Denise Chávez. Contributions with a broader focus address groups of multiethnic, Asian, and Jewish writers. All the essays set the short story in context, focusing on the interaction of cultural forces and aesthetic principles. The Companion takes account of cutting edge approaches to literary studies and contributes to the ongoing redefinition of the American canon, embracing genres such as ghost and detective fiction, cycles of interrelated short fiction, and comic, social and political stories. The volume also reflects the diverse communities that have adopted this literary form and made it their own, featuring entries on a variety of feminist and multicultural traditions. This volume presents an important new consideration of the role of the short story in the literary history of American literature.