The Lottery and Other Stories
Books | Fiction / Short Stories (single author)
4.2
(441)
Shirley Jackson
One of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker in 1948. "Power and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses. Today it is considered a classic work of short fiction, a story remarkable for its combination of subtle suspense and pitch-perfect descriptions of both the chilling and the mundane. The Lottery and Other Stories, the only one to appear during Shirley Jackson's lifetime, unites "The Lottery" with twenty-four equally unusual short stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range -- from the hilarious to the horrible, the unsettling to the ominous -- and her power as a storyteller.
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Author
Shirley Jackson
Pages
320
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published Date
2005-03-16
ISBN
1429957840 9781429957847
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Mmmm. No es para mí, son muchas historias cortas pero en realidad no les encontré mucho sentido. Quit at 20% "
K
Kasandra
"No one can bring out the creepiness of everyday life like Shirley Jackson. "
Lacey Samuel
"two or three stories in this collection hit a nerve. and there was a common thread throughout (if you know, you know!). but as impressive as that was, most of the tales contained were flat."
tinyhouse bigreads
"The Lottery, 12 pages<br/>The Intoxicated, 6 pages<br/>Got a Letter from Jimmy, 3 pages<br/><br/>I have had a love-hate relationship with Shirley Jackson ever since I was first introduced to her her stories as a teenager. They are beautifully written, with an element of being disturbing as the tranquility of common life is shattered in some way. I love her style, but leave the stories thinking (which is good), disturbed (sometimes good, and at a loss for words after the conclusion. <br/><br/>The Lottery, written in 1948, focuses on a town's common life, and yet their inhumanity for the sake of ritual. I'm almost sure it was inspiration for parts of The Hunger Games. I wonder how much WWII influenced this story. <br/><br/>The Intoxicated details a disturbing conversation about the future with a man (who had a little too much to drink but is handling it well) and the daughter of the party's host. Details are missing, but the surety of a bleak future is acknowledged. It would be interesting to find out when this one was written and if it has bearing on the context of the story. <br/><br/>Got a Letter from Jimmy is a very short tale of a married couple's dinner conversation about a letter received, but not yet read. I'm thinking Jimmy, who wrote the letter is their son, but I'd have to reread it closely to determine it. When the story ended, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't know if the ending was serious or if the wife truly meant what she was thinking. It is truly disturbing no matter what angle one looks at it. <br/><br/>Jackson does an excellent job at packing a lot of emotion in just a few pages, and is a master at showing, not telling. She really catches the essence of man's inhumanity to man, some elements of terror, and a dysfunctional family relationship.<br/><br/>All her stories are somewhat twisted, even haunting. I'm left feeling conflicted. I love her style, while at the same time I am left uneasy."
Jennifer D