Fiction A Pocket Anthology (Penguin Academics) (6th Edition) [Paperback]

R. S. Gwynn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205655130 | ISBN-13: 978-0205655137 | Publication Date: October 19, 2008 | Edition: 6

Brief and affordable, this chronologically organized pocket-sized anthology focuses on the stories at a cost well under that of traditional fiction anthologies.  Forty-four short stories from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries provide a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the study of fiction.  An introduction to Fiction discusses the origins of the genre, its literary elements, and key terms.  Thirteen new selections include stories by authors not previously represented in this anthology, as well as different offerings for previously anthologized authors.  Brand new to this anthology are authors Hisaye Yamamoto,Tim O’Brien, and Sherman Alexie, who bring diverse subject matter and styles to the mix.  New selections from Hawthorne, Poe, Kate Chopin, James Joyce, Faulkner, Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Munro, Andre Dubus, and Lorrie Moore enrich this anthology. 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

PENGUIN ACADEMICS compact yet complete–and always at a reasonable price!

 

We’ve created the Penguin Academics series with ease of use in mind–the books are conveniently portable, highly readable, attractively designed, and all at a great price.  

The ideal alternative to longer anthologies, this brief, affordable, and diverse collection of

short stories from the past three centuries provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the study of fiction.  

 

In keeping with the objectives of the Penguin Academics series, Fiction: A Pocket Anthology offers a range of widely admired stories from 19^th, 20^th and 21^st century authors in a quality trade-format book at an affordable price. 

 

Why do you need this new edition?

• Thirteen new selections include stories by authors not previously represented in this anthology, as well as different offerings for previously anthologized authors.
• Brand new to this anthology are authors Hisaye Yamamoto, Tim O’Brien, and Sherman Alexie, who bring diverse subject matter and styles to the mix.
• New selections from Hawthorne, Poe, Kate Chopin, James Joyce, Faulkner, Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Munro, Andre Dubus, and Lorrie Moore show these admired writers at their best.

 

About the Author

R. S. Gwynn has edited several other books, including Drama: A Pocket Anthology; Poetry: A Pocket Anthology; Literature: A Pocket Anthology; Inside Literature: Reading, Responding, Writing (with Steven Zani); The Art of the Short Story (with Dana Gioia); and Contemporary American Poetry: A Pocket Anthology (with April Lindner).  He has also authored five collections of poetry, including No Word of Farewell: Selected Poems, 1970-2000. He has been awarded the Michael Braude Award for verse from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.  Gwynn is University Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 6 edition (October 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205655130
• ISBN-13: 978-0205655137
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent anthology of short stories, June 28, 2002

By 

J. Hutchins (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fiction: A Pocket Anthology (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

pp.31 YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN--Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
pp.44 THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER--Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
pp.63 MOTHER SAVAGE--Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893)
pp.70 THE STORY OF AN HOUR--Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
pp.73 AN UPHEAVAL--Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
pp.81 ROMAN FEVER--Edith Wharton (1862-1937)
pp.94 PAUL'S CASE--Willa Cather (1873-1947)
pp.113 EVELINE--James Joyce (1882-1941)
pp.118 THE ROCKING-HORSE WINNER--D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
pp.133 THE JILTING OF GRANNY WEATHERALL--Katherine Ann Porter (1890-1980)
pp.142 SWEAT--Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)
pp.154 A ROSE FOR EMILY--William Faulkner (1897-1961)
pp.164 HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS--Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
pp.169 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK--Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)
pp.175 THE CHRYSANTHEMUMS--John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
pp.186 THE MAN WHO WAS ALMOST A MAN--Richard Wright (1908-1960)
pp.198 LIVVIE--Eudora Welty (B. 1909)
pp.212 REUINON--John Cheever (1912-1982)
pp.215 THE GUEST--Albert Camus (1913-1960)
pp.228 A PARTY DOWN AT THE SQUARE--Ralph Ellison (1914-1995)
pp.235 THE LOTTERY--Shirley Jackson (1919-1965)
pp.244 A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND--Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)
pp.260 A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS--Gabriel García Márquez (B. 1928)
pp.267 DEAD MAN'S PATH--Chinua Achebe (B. 1930)
pp.271 VANDALS--Alice Munro (B. 1931)
pp.297 A & P--John Updike (B. 1932)
pp.304 A SMALL, GOOD THING--Raymond Carver (1938-1988)
pp.327 WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?--Joyce Carol Oates (B. 1938)
pp.344 HAPPY ENDINGS--Margaret Atwood (B. 1939)
pp.348 SHILOH--Bobbie Ann Mason (B. 1940)
pp.362 EVERYDAY USE--Alice Walker (B. 1944)
pp.371 DIED AND GONE TO VEGAS--Tim Gautreaux (B. 1947)
pp.388 LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE--Dagoberto Gilb (B. 1950)
pp.399 TWO KINDS--Amy Tan (B. 1952)
pp.410 BARBIE-Q--Sandra Cisneros (B. 1954)
pp.412 THE RED CONVERTIBLE--Louise Erdrich (B. 1954)
pp.422 HOW TO TALK TO YOUR MOTHER (NOTES)--Lorrie Moore (B. 1954)

I bought this anthology used and it was obviously a former text book. I really enjoy it. While I greatly appreciate and adore full-length classic literature, short stories are a wonderful compromise for the times you don't want to be fully involved in a novel and neither want to read twaddle. Great authors with little commitment.

Editor R.S. Gwynn has chosen really wonderful samplings from a rather wide range of writers. Many women, non-whites, non-English-speakers... et cetera, should that aspect concern you. Each piece is prefaced with a short, non-intrusive biography of the author.

Certainly, authors/stories are absent, but I don't think it detracts from the value of this collection. It really is a lovely little book into which to nestle.

3.0 out of 5 stars A great collection though overpriced., September 17, 2009

By 

Silly Christy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fiction A Pocket Anthology (Penguin Academics) (6th Edition) (Paperback)

The collected works here are fantastic. Unfortunately it is well over-priced. This anthology is required reading for a class I am taking so in order to save frustration in searching out each individual title I purchased the book. But had it been available at the library I would have checked it out instead.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very rewarding!, January 7, 2011

By 

Tracy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fiction A Pocket Anthology (Penguin Academics) (6th Edition) (Paperback)

Wonderful collection of the most important short stories in this century.

The delivery is late, though! But I'm in Asia, so it's fine.

Highly recommended!