Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Beyond simply "because they're shorter and take less time to read", what draws you to read short stories? Consider whether it is a single short story or part of a collection by a single author or part of an anthology compiled of multiple authors' stories.

If a huge reason to you is the shorter length of time to read, please expand upon that reasoning with why that is an important factor of short stories to you.

My life is so busy so it's very comforting to be able to finish a book in one sitting. Most of the short stories I've read have had great plots and brilliant endings. I like Jeffrey archer's and Sherlock Holmes adventures:)

I don't read a lot of short stories - I would like to broaden this aspect of my reading. The shorter length actually works against them for me. I miss the character development and the complexity of the novel.

However, I do enjoy classic mystery anthologies, like the ones that Martin Edwards edits for the British Library Crime Classics series. They are generally thematically linked, with titles like Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries and Serpents in Eden. I think that this is a really fun way to organize stories, even though the quality can be hit or miss (some hits, some misses) for me.

I also started reading Alice Munro this year, and I love her short stories. They are perfect gems. I'm always interested in which authors are able to write well in both novel-length and short-story length. I think it's really hard to do both.

The point is to produce an effective work, which is easier to digest than a novel. For me, the preference is now due to my reduced attention span, but it was also there when I was a teenager.

I agree with Bernard on reduced attention span.

With so many life changing events in my life. I have found it hard to concentrate at times.
Short stories are quite enjoyable at times when reading is harder to see an end. They tend to have quite a lot in them for a short read as well.

At times it is nice to stop in a middle of a harder read to read a short to get me back in the mood to finish.

Not a Classic but part of the American Short Story Masterpieces: A Rich Selection of Recent Fiction from America's Best Modern Writers is Walking Out a story about hunting in Montana between Father and Son and an accident that leaves no choice but to Walk Out. (I found it to be a wonderful relationship building story).

When I was a teenager, for a few years I read only SF. I found few novels that I liked, so I read hundreds of short stories. Perhaps this Pavlovian conditioning has determined my later reading habits.

I love short story collections and anthologies from time to time, because the numerous stories give me a variety of literary tastes -- sometimes from the same author, sometimes from various authors. Short stories can be a great way to introduce yourself to an author or discover more ranges of an author you've already read.

They can give the best satisfaction/page ratio. There is a brilliant one page story, but I have forgotten the title and author!

A collection of pared down gems

100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories by Isaac Asimov

Bernard go to the kindle shop and type in Wildside Press Megapack

here are some sci-fi ones.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=wildside...

Thanks Jazzy. Yes, the MEGAPACK (R) series are great value.

Bernard wrote: "Thanks Jazzy. Yes, the MEGAPACK (R) series are great value."

Do you have a lot of them? Eventually I want to buy them all :)

It reminds me of my childhood and buying all the new comics.

Samantha wrote: "Beyond simply "because they're shorter and take less time to read", what draws you to read short stories? Consider whether it is a single short story or part of a collection by a single author or p..."

Hello, I honestly have always thought that the short story is an art form unto itself. A really good short story reads like a book and leaves a life long impression. Very difficult to create something that impactful with less words. For example the metamorphism by Kafka has influenced countless authors, influenced an entire genre of fiction. Another example is Shirley Jackson the lottery. It is a a higher art form ,in my opinion. If people are reading them because they are shorter, is odd, length doe not determine how difficult or easy the reading is. Another short story i love so very much is, The big blond by Dorthy Parker

Natalie, I agree that reading short stories with the reasoning of the shorter length is not the best approach. A good short story gives you the same depth as a novel in less writing, which requires a different set of skills from the writer. I've read that there are separate challenges in both forms of writing.

Short stories that are less than 100 pages are the ones that amaze me. The author has to grab you in such a shorter amount of time that I too believe it is quite a skill to accomplish. I love tales that linger with me like...

The Glamour of the Snow by Algernon Blackwood 28 pages of a sense of wonder in this story!

A hundred pages ??? Some of my favourite stories are only ten! I have been reading some Soviet era stories, for the Nth time, which still reveal new facets and new enjoyments.

Am I the only one who almost never "gets" short stories? Where is it written that short stories (almost) always have to have a nebulous or completely incomprehensible ending that leaves me saying, Huh? The story generally moves along fine and then the last paragraph it suddenly goes rogue and falls apart on me.

For that reason I generally stay away from them.

I don’t like those types of short stories much either, Karen. I prefer my stories — whether novel length or shorter — to have at least a mostly conclusive ending.

I think it's much harder to write a good short story than a novel. It may not take as long, but every word counts.
I have read some terrible short stories too. Of course, I've read a lot of good ones too.
O'Henry and Saki were both masters of the short story. Some of O'Henry's stories are sad. Saki's stories can be strange and weird-with a wicked sense of humour.

Bernard wrote: "A hundred pages ??? Some of my favourite stories are only ten! I have been reading some Soviet era stories, for the Nth time, which still reveal new facets and new enjoyments."

Spot on Bernard. A well-written short story is a joy, no matter the length. Most of my favourites are Russian or Japanese.

I'm sorry Karen, I don't understand your statement. I must read different short stories than you.

Natalie I love Dorothy Parker. She has a plethora of short stories, and i haven't read one I didn't like.

Ray Bradbury is also a master of the short story! Who doesn't find A Sound of Thunder or The Veldt remarkable and memorable?

A lot of Roald Dahl's superb short stories were made into television shows like Tales of the Unexpected.

Karen, such endings are not universal. They can annoy me too. But Skeleton by Ray Bradbury (in The October Country) has a perfect last paragraph. It delivers a shocking ending, which reveals whether the hero's fears are just inside his head, or are based on objective reality.

Right Jazzy!

I am currently reading, and absolutely loving, Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is dense but each story is just a few pages so picking it up and putting it down is not a problem - I love everything about it. I love puzzling out the beautifully crafted upside down and sideways sentences, the beautiful scenes that he evokes with those sentences. And I especially love that I understand the endings!! I don't want it to end.

This is a good question, but the challenge for me is that I used to love short stories in my youth, and don't care for them now. I am not sure what drew me to them, but then I read prolifically, and these were just part of it. Often I read short stories in magazines, but sometimes in collections as well. I am not sure about now since I don't really read magazines, but many included short stories regularly, or at least many of the ones my mother got did.

However, none of those magazines stories are classics yet.

The best strategy is to read anything and everything to begin with. Then, over time, ones tastes will be refined and one can zero in on particular types of book. But always be on the lookout for new books which bring new joy.

I started off reading SF short stories, and now many decades later I read short stories of all genres, except romantic fiction of the Barbara Cartland variety.

I’ll try most types of literature once. Short stories are a great way to sample a genre or author.

That is so true Samantha!

I have on several occasions purchased the short stories or read a short story I could find online for free, as I am not sure if I want to make an actual purchase of the Author not knowing if I will like their style.

Lesle, short stories do not only help determine if spending money on the author’s work is right for you, of course. I appreciate how a short story can help me decide if a longer work or collection of works by that author is worth my dedication of time. So many books, so little time to read them all in.

I like to read short story anthologies. I've found authors to read that I would have otherwise never have thought to read. I've found some really good books. One was Death World. I read a short story by Harry Harrison and read other stories by him.

That makes a lot of sense, Shannon. I've read novels by Harrison, but none of his short stories.

Anthologies are great! I started with SF books from the local Woolworth shop. I think the first one was assembled by August Derleth.

Bernard did I mention I got this book

A Science Fiction Argosy edited by Damon Knight

the book came out in 1972, but they're all classic sci-fi shorts.
It was £2, but the binding is coming loose (ex-library, hardback first edition) so I got it for a quid.

It contains
"Introduction" (Damon Knight)
"Green Thoughts" (John Collier)
"The Red Queen's Race" (Isaac Asimov)
"The Cure" (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore)
"Consider Her Ways" (John Wyndham)
"An Ornament to His Profession" (Charles L. Harness)
"The Third Level" (Jack Finney)
"One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts" (Shirley Jackson)
"Bernie the Faust" (William Tenn)
"Light of Other Days" (Bob Shaw)
"The Game of Rat and Dragon" (Cordwainer Smith)
"Becalmed in Hell" (Larry Niven)
"Apology to Inky" (Robert M. Green, Jr.)
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
"Day Million" (Frederik Pohl)
"Manna" (Peter Phillips)
"Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?" (Robert Sheckley)
"Somerset Dreams" (Kate Wilhelm)
"He Walked Around the Horses" (H. Beam Piper)
"Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee" (Fritz Leiber)
"Sea Wrack" (Edward Jesby)
"Man in His Time" (Brian W. Aldiss)
"Four Brands of Impossible" (Norman Kagan)
"Built Up Logically" (Howard Schoenfeld)
"Judgment Day" (L. Sprague de Camp)
"Journeys End" (Poul Anderson)
More Than Human (Theodore Sturgeon)

Also do you still have any of those old books?

Some great names there Jazzy. I did not know John Collier wrote SF, I must look for those. And Cordwainer Smith is such a briliant name.

I do not have any of them left, but I have got some 60s SF books I bought at car boots.

Some of my vintage SF books ...

The new tomorrows, edited by Norman Spinrad (1973)
Dangerous visions 3, edited by Harlan Ellison (1974)
Of time and stars, Arthur C Clarke (1981)

But the oldest one seems to be ...

Away and beyond, A E van Vogt (1963)

Perhaps this is another copy of the first one I bought?

This is a fascinating discussion. SF is very new to me, I only started reading it in the last 2-3 years. Jazzy & Bernard, you have mentioned masses of authors that I don’t know.

In that case Trisha, you are in for many treats. For me, SF works best in short story form, but there are many excellent novels also.

Oh yes Trisha, Bernard has some fantastic books, and as mentioned before you can get lots of classic sci-fi on kindle with the Wildside Mega Packs

Harlan Ellison wrote for The Twilight Zone as well. I had a big collection of his work.

Who knows maybe that's the same book you bought come back to you, Bernard.

Yes, I had not thought of that! I think I will do a DNA analysis ....

A note on prices: The Spinrad book has a sticker reading "WOOLWORTH 9p". The 60s books of course are priced in the old shillings and pennies, like the Van Vogt one is 3/6. So as 10p is equivalent to 2 shillings, somebody got a bargain in the 70s for 9p!

Re: a note on prices- American says what? I have no idea of these conversions. 😅

Ha ha! Of course not Samantha. Americans wisely adopted a decimal system from the start. We did not see the light until 1971. Although I grew up with the old system, I had to think hard to work this out.

Bernard wrote: "A note on prices: The Spinrad book has a sticker reading "WOOLWORTH 9p". The 60s books of course are priced in the old shillings and pennies, like the Van Vogt one is 3/6. So as 10p is equivalent t..."

I have a few old books with similar prices. The smaller size as well. I had a set of 3 Star Trek books by James Blish, but gave them to a friend at Christmas time.

Ah yes, James Blish. I read many of his stories in the 60s. His death in 1975 explains why I have not read recent works by him.

Actually, the name Blish reminds me of a debate at a SF readers group. We were choosing the funniest author name. Strong contenders were Cordwainer Smith and Algis Budrys, plus some others I forget. But the clear winner was Groff Conklin. One member, who had not heard the name before, started laughing hysterically, and we became worried for his well-being.

I made the mistake of ignoring short stories for a long time simply because I figured investing the time in something that would be read in one sitting wasn't worthwhile. A few years ago I went into a bookstore and picked up The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster on a whim, a £1 gamble. Containing two stories, I was blown away!

I've since read Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories by Charles Beaumont, five of which had been adapted for The Twilight Zone. I also really enjoyed The Meek One, my first Fyodor Dostoevsky despite my love of long books. I plan to read a volume of Anton Chekhov's stories next year (Ward No. 6 and Other Stories, 1892-1895) having read his A Life in Letters this year.

Mike, your previous sentiment on short stories is exactly why I made this discussion topic. Many readers feel like short stories are a waste of time when they could devote that time to a whole book. Personally, I find short stories are great for little doses of an author or theme. Plus, if you find yourself taking a while to finish a book, short stories can provide that completion satisfaction sooner.