The American Short Story - Complete

The American literary tradition has a glowing and glittering reputation. From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. America prides itself on liberty, on justice for all and, if you are a wealthy white man, that is essentially true. Sadly, many other segments of society find it difficult to feel part of this endeavour. That prejudice has helped shape the borders of those two endless questions about any anthology. Why that story? Why that Author? We made some hard choices. Our literary parade starts with Uriah Derrick D’Arcy, about whom little can be verified. From here leviathans appear; Hawthorne, Poe, Melville, Twain but also note how many women, and not just Stowe, Alcott and Chopin. Their status as writers is often neglected or undervalued but their stories, their angles of approach to writing are both expertly crafted and refreshing. Another stain on the social and cultural fabric of American has