As opposed to their name, short stories actually create an impact that can be everlasting. A profound message, a deep feeling, a fiery character – all wrapped up in just a few words. Short stories can teach us a lot about storytelling. Here are a few Must Read Short Stories for inspiration.
Many authors think that crafting a strong short story is more difficult than writing a complete novel. With the latter, there is plenty of room to discuss the plot, topic, and characters. But in a short story, each word counts. The best short stories speak volumes within a few slim pages. These Must Read Short Stories show just how!
If you’re looking for some inspiration, short stories certainly have a lot to offer. Small windows of time are ideal for reading short stories, whether they are right before bed, during the commute, or while you are waiting to see your doctor.
So let’s dive into the world of short stories with some Must Read Short Stories are considered the absolute best!
1. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
The Lottery, which debuted in The New Yorker in 1948, is a masterpiece of gloomy mood and unsettling ideas. It nearly single-handedly invented the current genre of gothic horror because of its gloomy atmosphere and use of thought-provoking, unpleasant irony. The plot is about a little village lottery, the winner of which will be stoned to death. Within a few short pages, Jackson manages to represent the mob mentality that can drive reasonable people to commit heinous acts.
2. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis is not only one of the best short stories ever written, but it also served as a crucial forebearer to the Surrealist movement that would soon take off after its 1915 publication. There has been substantial debate over this story of a salesman who wakes up one morning to discover that, much to his surprise, he has transformed into a beetle, but everyone agrees that it is a superb examination of alienation in the modern age.
3. Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway wrote a number of short stories that are among the best ever written, but Hills Like White Elephants stands out as probably his finest work because of the way it addresses a subject without ever bringing it up. The plot involves a young couple who are waiting for a train as they talk about an unspecified operation, but it is clear that the man is trying to persuade the woman to get an abortion. It is a work of subtlety and simplicity from a writer who is arguably the best at packing a lot of meaning into a small number of words.
4. Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian
Arriving in 2017, at the height of #MeToo, Cat Person starts with 20-year-old Margot starting to flirt with an older man, Robert. The power dynamic between them begins to change as she learns more about this man. It is praised for how it depicts Margot’s inner life and the anxieties that many contemporary women have about dating, but it also has its share of critics. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that this story connected with readers and will continue to be relevant for some time.
5. Cathedral by Raymond Carver
One of Raymond Carver’s best works, Cathedral was first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1981. In the opening scene, the narrator’s wife is anticipating a visit from an old friend who is blind. When the blind man asks him to describe a cathedral to him, our narrator, who is dissatisfied and distrustful of individuals who are different from him, finally connects. The reader is astounded by the beautiful simplicity of the story’s deceptively moving ending by the time the two men come to an understanding over the image of a cathedral, which only one of them can actually see.
6. A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O’Connor
Despite having an innocent title, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is Flannery O’Connor’s most well-known and bleak piece of writing. It starts off innocently enough with a Southern family preparing to take a road trip. However, the excursion is abruptly cut short when their car flips over on a deserted dirt road, where they are met by a mysterious trio of guys climbing a nearby hill. When this short story was first published in 1953, it sparked a number of passionate responses from readers, and discussions over its honest portrayal of the essence of good and evil are still going on today.
7. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
Poe is most known for his several gothic masterpieces, but his most popular short story is The Tell-Tale Heart. This narrative served as a model for early gothic romanticism since it is told by a murderer whose sanity steadily deteriorates as he contemplates about his crime and is troubled by the beating heart of his victim. It might have been the inspiration behind all the numerous stories in which a character is plagued by a sound that only they can hear.
There are no genres that a short story can’t encapsulate and sometimes, maybe even better than novels. While the list of great short stories of all time could go on forever, these seven would definitely get aspiring storytellers to get their creative juices flowing!
Is your favourite short story a part of this list? Do let us know in the comments below.
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