IN THE REIGN OF HARAD IV SHORT STORY REVIEW

IN THE REIGN OF HARAD IV  SHORT STORY REVIEW - A miniature maker--honored with a fur coat to attend court—creates doll house furniture with incredible detail. He loses himself in his own ambitions, ever creating things that are smaller and smaller, that his apprentices check on him one day. He has made a doll house so small, that it is invisible, even under powerful magnification. In The Reign of Harad IV by Steven Millhauser the author explores themes common to his other works, small moments, replicating reality, small models and exploration of the literary fantastic. This Pulitzer prizewinning writer has authored Dangerous Laughter, A Precursor of the Cinema and The Other Town.

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/02/in-reign-of-harad-iv.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/02/in-reign-of-harad-iv-by-steven.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/01/in-reign-of-harad-iv-by-steven.html

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST SHORT STORY REVIEW

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST SHORT STORY REVIEW - In Oscar Wilde’s first published story, the ghost of an English lord from the distant past, tries and fails to frighten an American family, residing in his former mansion. The Canterville Ghost is a study in opposites, chock full of humorous quips and witty banter, quite unlike The Picture of Dorian Gray, more in the vein of The Importance of Being Earnest. There are shaking chains, bleached bones, creaking floorboards and a parade of disguises. But the ghost is frustrated by his attempt at frightening residents because they find him comical and not scary.  While old fashioned, his other works include stage plays, and endless stream of witty quotes, which are a window into the mind of one of the greats of English literature. Do you like classic horror? Then do yourself a favor and read The Canterville Ghost!

http://www.classicalcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/CantervilleGhost_Preview_OriginalText.pdf

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-canterville-ghost-by-oscar-wilde-mp.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-canterville-ghost-by-oscar-wilde.html

 

 

HARVEY’S DREAM SHORT STORY REVIEW

HARVEY’S DREAM SHORT STORY REVIEW – Harvey’s Dream by Stephen King reminds us that dreams can be scary. Harvey and Janet, a dysfunctional married couple, discuss how he woke up screaming, during a dream where one of their daughters was run over and killed. Who better than King to exploit a human primal fear? It’s a very short story, which first appeared in the New Yorker, and also appears in the collected works entitled ‘Just After Sunset’. Give it a read–and, you’ll find your heart racing as you sort out the differences–between dreams and wakefulness. 

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/12/harveys-dream-by-stephen-king-pdf.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/01/harveys-dream-by-stephen-king-mp3.html

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK SHORT STORY REVIEW

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK SHORT STORY REVIEW - This is an extremely short story, at barely two pages in length. I find a relationship in that the further an author pushes into experimental form, the shorter a story needs to be, to keep readers engaged in the story arc. Similar to “Father’s Great Escape”, “The Gospel According to Mark” (by Jorge Luis Borges) succeeds as such. Because the author gets in and gets out, quickly. This avoids any possibility of allowing readers spotting the upcoming twist ending (which I won’t give away here). Thus, when an aimless medical student goes to stay at a ranch, he becomes trapped indoors by a flood. Alongside an illiterate farm family, that works the land as ranch hands. They are in awe of the young man because he reads passages to them from an old notated family Bible. In the final sequence, the father asks him if Christ let Himself be killed to save all men. The young man says, “Yes, to save everyone from Hell.” They mock him, spit on him and shove him, into the back part of the house. The girl weeps (he has had sex with the ranch hand’s daughter but vows to deny it) because she knows what’s waiting for him, on the other side of the door. The story touches on themes of crucifixion (with several deliberate references to Christ, it’s no coincidence), salvation and earthly pleasures. I feel that the author is also sending a clear message about class. Specifically (I imagine), the treatment of common laborers in relation to the upper echelon, in Latin America, if not as a comment on the world at large. 

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-gospel-according-to-mark-by-jorge.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-gospel-according-to-mark.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-gospel-according-to-mark-by-jorge.html

THE LADY'S MAID'S BELL

The Lady's Maid's Bell - A new maid is employed by an invalid in a gloomy Hudson Valley mansion. As she gets to know the house staff, she is bothered by several odd circumstances. She is replacing the position of a former maid that was recently deceased. Several other attempted replacements didn’t stay in the gloomy mansion for longer than a few days. Further foreshadowing reveals an odd locked room and her employer’s insistence to refrain from ringing the maid’s bell.

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-ladys-maids-bell.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-ladys-maids-bell-by-edith-wharton_16.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-ladys-maids-bell-by-edith-wharton.html

http://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/nobody-likes-edith-wharton

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/02/ghost-stories-of-edith-wharton-by-edith.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2012/02/ethan-frome.html

THE LOTTERY SHORT STORY REVIEW

THE LOTTERY SHORT STORY REVIEW - Love it or hate it, Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is indelibly etched on the American subconscious. It’s on every high school and college reading list. When it first appeared in The New Yorker in June of 1948, the magazine received an onslaught of complaint letters and subscription cancellations. The reactions were widely varied, from mild confusion to strong dislike. Since then the story has won just about every major award, has been adapted into multiple formats (radio, television, film and theater) and is oft cited as one of the best horror short stories ever written. The author was frequently questioned about its meaning. Her husband, a literary critic in his own right, stated the following. “She consistently refused to be interviewed, to explain or promote her work in any fashion, or to take public stands.” She is also the author of the much lauded novel, The Haunting of Hill House.

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-lottery-letters

http://mentalfloss.com/article/57503/11-facts-about-shirley-jacksons-lottery

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/memory-and-delusion

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-lottery-short-story-review.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson-pdf.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson-mp3.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-lottery-part-1-of-2.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-lottery-part-2-of-2.html

THE BOOGEYMAN SHORT STORY REVIEW

THE BOOGEYMAN SHORT STORY REVIEW - A beleaguered father, plagued by guilt, visits a psychiatrist. As he lays on the couch, he recounts the murders of his three children. The Boogeyman was originally published in the March 1973 issue of Cavalier, and later collected in Stephen King's 1978 short story collection, entitled Night Shift. If you’re a regularly reader of my blog, you’re well aware of my fondness for this fellow horror writer. Some of my earliest reading memories are being engrossed in novels like Carrie, Pet Semetary, Cujo and Christine. King takes our subconscious fears, creates relatable characters, and loves a twist ending. What horror writer doesn’t imagine a monster lurking in the closet? While this story is very short, in that respect, it doesn’t disappoint. A must read! 

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN SHORT STORY REVIEW

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN SHORT STORY REVIEW - The novella that became an award winning film, by a literary vanguard, was originally published in The New Yorker in 1997. It was later included in her collection entitled Close Range: Wyoming Stories in 1999. Annie Proulx has won just about every major writing prize, her story became an Oscar winning film and also strangely enough, an opera. Brokeback Mountain captured the imagination of readers and film viewers alike. Fan fiction (and even more risqué fare) abound on the interwebs. I think the reason is Proulx employs narrative distance allowing readers to insert themselves onto the page. Two men unite amidst idyllic mountain beauty, Brokeback Mountain itself, becomes a symbol of their love. Their isolation against the rustic Wyoming backdrop pushes them closer together and the attraction is compelling. But, it’s not a story with a happy ending. Proulx has herself said she wishes she’d never written the story. I look at it another way, she should be flattered. She’s created something so powerful that readers can’t help but to inject themselves into the world of Brokeback Mountain.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/10/13/brokeback-mountain

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/01/brokeback-mountain.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/01/brokeback-mountain-by-annie-proulx-mp3.html

THE MAN WHO LOVED FLOWERS SHORT STORY REVIEW

THE MAN WHO LOVED FLOWERS - The Man Who Loved Flowers by Stephen King appeared in Gallery magazine and his anthology Night Shift. In New York City an unnamed man stops at a flower vendor, mentions a woman's body, a hammer murderer, so he buys roses for ‘Norma’ and leaves. Walking down the sidewalk he turns into an alley saying to a random woman: "I've bought some flowers for you, Norma." When she screams he kills her. After an unspecified amount of time, he walks away. He feels optimistic, sure that he will find Norma someday. Stephen King is one of the best known and most prolific horror writers. His works have been appeared in novels, short stories, collections, movies and TV. Since his first book ‘Carrie’ in 1974 he is still going strong in 2015 with ‘Finders Keepers’ and countless projects in-between.

Follow these links to related posts on this topic.

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-man-who-loved-flowers.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-man-who-loved-flowers-vid-clip.html

http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-man-who-loved-flowers_21.html

DUNWICH HORROR SHORT STORY REVIEW

DUNWICH HORROR SHORT STORY REVIEW - HP Lovecraft’s ‘The Dunwich Horror’ first appeared in Weird Tales in 1929. It was made into a B movie in 1970 and a TV movie in 2009. Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ series is said by some to have drawn inspiration from this source. The story is central to the Cthulhu Mythos and one of Lovecraft’s few, wherein the hero defeats the forces of evil. 

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-dunwich-horror_20.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-dunwich-horror.html

https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2015/02/dunwich-horror-review.html

WHEN WE WERE NEARLY YOUNG SHORT STORY REVIEW

When We Were Nearly Young - The inspiration for Mavis Gallant’s short story, entitled ‘When We Were Nearly Young’ was a diary she kept during the 1950’s. The backstory goes that Gallant was living in Madrid, forced to pawn her typewriter, while waiting for a check from her agent. She did what every writer does by turning a real-life situation into fiction. The short story deals with a woman on a quest for self-discovery, living with three friends, all of whom are waiting for money. They eat cheap, loaf around and try to enjoy life on a budget. Gallant is a prolific contributor to The New Yorker, featuring publication of more than one hundred stories in the magazine. I wonder, now that handwritten journals are obsolete, how will writer’s notes be remembered?