The Short Story: The Reality of Artifice

The short story has been experiencing a renaissance of interest in the nineties, among popular readers as well as professional critics. Charles May has been in the forefront of this revival of critical interest. Based on his work over the past 25 years, this book identifies the basic conventions of major short stories from Hawthorne and Poe to Ozick and Carver and discusses in depth the literary styles and forms unique to the genre. This critical history traces the development of the short story from its mythic beginnings to the late-20th century. The series investigates continuities and changes within individual themes and genres. Each volume typically covers both traditional and popular expressions of the theme or genre it treats, and each is authored by a leading scholar.