Author Archives
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Analysis of Anne Tyler’s Stories
Classified by critics as a southern writer, Anne Tyler (born October 25, 1941) focuses on modern families and their unique relationships. Her underlying theme is that time inexorably changes the direction of people’s lives. The past determines the present and… Read More ›
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Analysis of Mark Twain’s Stories
Many readers find Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) most successful in briefer works, including his narratives, because they were not padded to fit some extraneous standard of length. His best stories are narrated by first-person speakers… Read More ›
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Analysis of Ivan Turgenev’s Stories
The reputation of Ivan Turgenev (October 28, 1818 – September 3, 1883) as a short-story writer is based in equal measure on his stories about Russian peasant life and on stories about other segments of society. Although differing greatly in… Read More ›
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Analysis of William Trevor’s Stories
Like his novels, William Trevor’s (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016) short stories generally take place in either England or the Republic of Ireland. For the most part, Trevor focuses on middle-class or lower-middle-class figures whose lives have been… Read More ›
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Analysis of James Thurber’s Stories
James Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) is best known as the author of humorous sketches, stories, and reminiscences dealing with urban bourgeois American life. To discuss Thurber as an artist in the short-story form is difficult, however,… Read More ›
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Analysis of Peter Taylor’s Stories
The art of Peter Taylor (January 8, 1917 – November 2, 1994) is ironic and subtle. In a typical story, the narrator or point-of-view character is an observer, perhaps a member of a community who remembers someone or something in… Read More ›
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Analysis of Amy Tan’s Stories
Amy Tan’s (born February 19, 1952) voice is an important one among a group of “hyphenated Americans” (such as African Americans and Asian Americans) who describe the experiences of members of ethnic minority groups. Her short fiction is grounded in… Read More ›
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Analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Stories
Robert Louis Stevenson (13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) has long been relegated to either the nursery or the juvenile section in most libraries, and his mixture of romance, horror, and allegory seems jejune. In times narrative and well-ordered… Read More ›
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Analysis of John Steinbeck’s Stories
The qualities that most characterize the work of John Steinbeck (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) are a supple narrative style, a versatility of subject matter, and an almost mystical sympathy for the common human being. His fiction is… Read More ›
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Analysis of Alan Sillitoe’s Stories
“The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner,” the title story of Alan Sillitoe’s (4 March 1928 – 25 April 2010) first collection of short fiction, quickly became one of the most widely read stories of modern times. Its basic theme, that… Read More ›
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Analysis of William Saroyan’s Stories
Although William Saroyan (August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) cultivated his prose to evoke the effect of a “tradition of carelessness,” of effortless and sometimes apparently formless ruminations and evocations, he was in reality an accomplished and conscious stylist… Read More ›
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Analysis of J. D. Salinger’s Stories
The main characters of J. D. Salinger (January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010), neurotic and sensitive people, search unsuccessfully for love in a metropolitan setting. They see the phoniness, egotism, and hypocrisy around them. There is a failure of… Read More ›
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Analysis of James Purdy’s Stories
James Purdy (July 17, 1914 – March 13, 2009) is one of the more independent, unusual, and stylistically unique of American writers, since his fiction—novels, plays, and short stories—maintains a dark vision of American life while stating that vision in… Read More ›
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Analysis of V. S. Pritchett’s Stories
V. S. Pritchett (16 December 1900 – 20 March 1997) writes in Midnight Oil, I have rarely been interested in what are called “characters,” i.e., eccentrics; reviewers are mistaken in saying I am. They misread me. I aminterested in the… Read More ›
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Analysis of J. F. Powers’s Stories
The most frequently reprinted of J. F. Powers’s (July 8, 1917 – June 12, 1999) short stories and therefore the best known are not the title stories of his two collections—“Prince of Darkness” and “The Presence of Grace”—but rather “Lions,… Read More ›
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Analysis of Katherine Anne Porter’s Stories
Katherine Anne Porter’s (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) short fiction is noted for its sophisticated use of symbolism, complex exploitation of point of view, challenging variations of ambiguously ironic tones, and profound analyses of psychological and social themes…. Read More ›
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Analysis of Luigi Pirandello’s Stories
Luigi Pirandello’s (28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) earliest short stories are tales of the insular environment of his native Sicily. Originally written in Sicilian dialect and later translated into Italian, they deal in naturalistic style with the traditions… Read More ›
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Analysis of Ann Petry’s Stories
Although Ann Petry’s (October 12, 1908 – April 28, 1997) fiction typically involves African Americans struggling against the crippling impact of racism, her overarching theme involves a more broadly defined notion of prejudice that targets class and gender as well… Read More ›
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Analysis of S. J. Perelman’s Stories
Parody, satire, and verbal wit characterize S. J. Perelman’s (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979) works. Most of them are very short and tend to begin as conversational essays that develop into narrative or mock dramatic episodes and sometimes… Read More ›
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Analysis of Dorothy Parker’s Stories
Dorothy Parker’s (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) bestknown stories are “The Waltz,” “A Telephone Call,” and her masterpiece, “Big Blonde,” winner of the O. Henry Memorial Prize for the best short story of 1929. The Waltz “The Waltz”… Read More ›
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