In this SDG we will read short stories of three women writers: Flannery O’Connor, Shirley Jackson, and Grace Paley. These writers are known for short stories, yet many of the stories are no longer read or discussed. That is remedied in our SDG, we will read two short stories in each of 14 sessions.
Flannery O’Connor is perhaps the most well-known of our three writers. She wrote Southern Gothic short stories and novels. We will read from her first story collection A Good Man is Hard to Find, & Other Stories from 1955. The title story has been anthologized often. It explores the myth of southern friendliness, and is quite captivating (pun intended). “The River” is about a young boy who takes his baptism too seriously.
Later the Same Day (1985) has stories written by Grace Paley over the decades. Paley was a novelist, poet and political activist. Her stories were often centered in NY City. “Dreamer in a Dead Language” is a story about mothers and daughters, the power of thought and what it is like to cope. “Somewhere Else” takes place in China and in the South Bronx. White liberal Paley skewered in her story white liberals for thinking they have the right to claim ownership over these places and their populations.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a famous American short story. She was a feminist who preceded feminism’s Second Wave, and a prolific writer of short stories and novels that were collected by the Library of America. “The Daemon Lover” follows the trials of a woman who, in her sadness and pain, hunts for the man who left her on the day they were to be married. The title character of the story “Elizabeth” is a middle age woman working in Manhattan, having an affair with her boss which is going badly. Feeling desperate in the City, she meets another man who she knows will be different.
Short Stories: Mid 20th Century Women Writers
