This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below! Author: Patrick A. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN alk. Short story—Themes, motives. Short story—Bibliography.
S62 Smith All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. For my parents—lifelong teachers. And for Lori, for her unwavering support and inspiration. This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 The Guide 7 Bibliography Index of Authors Index of Short Stories Index of Themes This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Having grown up with two parents who were also teachers, I've long held the notion that the people we see at the front of the classroom deserve all good things that come to them.
To think that I could possibly thank everyone involved in this project would be madness, though I'll begin by singing the praises of the educators who spend their days leading us down the road of enlightenment, and the students who are willing to join us on the journey and challenge us when necessary.
This page intentionally left blank Introduction i The popularity of short fiction will never succumb to the myriad forms of mass entertainment that assault us daily for one very important reason: in addition to providing a worthwhile experience that creates enjoyment through a synergy of tightly wound prose and plot, these snapshot images— even a narrative such as Plato's "The Death of Socrates," written more than twenty-three centuries ago—allow us to examine issues whose understanding is vital in today's society.
Ann Charters, editor of The Story and Its Writer, a fine, diverse anthology that I have used and admired for years, writes, "Reading short fiction attentively and imaginatively promises further pleasure—the enjoyment of how the storyteller uses language to create that miracle called a work of art.
