Tuesday Intros and Teaser Tuesday - '100 Great Short Stories' edited by James Daley

The fact that I am a fan of short stories should come as no surprise to regular visitors to A Universe in Words. I am just fascinated by how authors manage to put so much into only a few pages. A lot of short stories are better than fully fledged novels! Today I'm using the short story collection I reviewed yesterday: One Hundred Great Short Stories, edited by James Daley, published by Dover Publications.
This treasury of one hundred tales offers students and other readers of short fiction a splendid selection of stories by masters of the form. Contributors from around the world include Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Dickens, Anton Chekhov, Mark Twain, Saki, Luigi Pirandello, Kate Chopin, and Ring Lardner.The stories, which are arranged chronologically, begin with tales by Daniel Defoe ("The Apparition of Mrs. Veal," 1705), Benjamin Franklin ("Alice Addertongue," 1732), and Washington Irving ("The Devil and Tom Walker," 1824). Highlights from the nineteenth century include Ivan Turgenev's "The District Doctor" (1852), Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" (1886), Thomas Hardy's "Squire Petrick's Lady" (1891), and Rudyard Kipling's "Wee Willie Winkie" (1899). From the twentieth century come James Joyce's "Araby" (1914), Franz Kafka's "The Judgment" (1916), Virginia Woolf's "The Mark on the Wall" (1921), "The Broken Boot" (1923) by John Galsworthy, and many others.
Tuesday Intros is hosted by Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea and Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

Intro: (from 'The Apparition of Mrs. Veal' by Daniel Defoe)
'This thing is so rare in all its circumstances, and on so good authority, that my reading and conversation have not given me anything like it. It is fit to gratify the most ingenious and serious inquirer.' 1%
I really liked this beginning. For me ghost stories always depend on the narrator and such a strong presence as in this story means that while I don't have to believe in ghosts, I can believe that the narrator believes in ghosts!

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Teaser: (from 'Journalism in Tennessee' by Mark Twain)
'When I went on duty I found the chief editor sitting tilted back in a three-legged chair with his feet on a pine table. There was another pine table in the room, and another afflicted chair, and both were half buried under newspapers and scraps and sheets of manuscript.' 22%
I haven't actually read anything by Mark Twain and this was the beginning of the short story. I really like the description in this teaser.

So, that is what I just read! What are you teasing with today?

Comments

  1. Oh, I do want to read more! When I was eight, my first book checked out of the public library was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, soon followed by Huckleberry Finn. I haven't read anything else by MT since...but I always felt as though that were a defining moment in my life...and Mark Twain was a part of it. LOL

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  2. Thanks for sharing, here is mine
    http://totallyaddictedtoreading.blogspot.com/2015/03/teaser-tuesday-7.html?zx=e4741754c637adea

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  3. This sounds interesting with a nice mix of authors. Might have to check it out. I've not read any short stories in years and those were for school.

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  4. Interesting tease! Totally new to me!

    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  5. I have trouble getting into short stories, so I'd probably not continue with this one.

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  6. I rediscovered short stories after I began blogging in 2008 and used to be a regular participant in Short Story Monday. Unfortunately over the past year or two, I got out of the habit. This sounds like an excellent collection - thanks for mentioning it. Makes me want to get back to short stories:)

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  7. I'm not much of a short story reader, but I do admire authors who are successful at writing them.

    My Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/03/first-chapter-first-paragraph-97.html

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  8. I love short stories, and this looks like a wonderful collection by some fantastic authors. I'd keep reading!

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  9. I've had mixed success with short stories but this does look like a comprehensive selection - great intro and teaser! Thanks for visiting my Tuesday post https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/4158/

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  10. I'm not a fan of short stories but Twain is always good.

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  11. What way to describe a chair, "afflicted." Interesting.

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  12. I've never been a big Twain fan, but he does have a cool way with description! Hope you enjoy it!!

    Here are my Teasers!

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  13. I would totally read this book! Love short stories!!

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  14. I like short stories too. I haven't read that particular Mark Twain story, but I'm sure going to read it now. Thanks.

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