Fiction: A Pocket Anthology (3rd Edition)

The perfect alternative to lengthy fiction anthologies, this brief, affordable collection of short stories provides a concise yet complete introduction to the study of fiction. Featuring over 30 short stories, it spans the spectrum of short fiction from early pieces by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Anton Checkov to contemporary works by Alice Walker and Margaret Atwood. Writing About Fiction section offers a brief overview of organizational strategies, research methods, style and MLA style citation. "The Telling of the Tale" is a discussion of the oral roots of short fiction. "The Short Story Genre" is an account of the development of the modern short story. "Reading and Analyzing Short Fiction" a presentation of John Cheever's brief story, "Reunion," followed by a discussion of how the elements of fiction-plot, characterization, point of view, theme, setting, style-relate to this and other stories in the book. Index of critical terms provides a cross-referenced list of terms covered. For those interested in Fiction.