Customer Reviews

The Magic of Shirley Jackson

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Many people are familiar with Shirley Jackson because of one of her bizarre short stories, 'The Lottery'. This one has often been included in literature textbooks and general short story collections and serves as a powerful, intriguing example of her literary style. 'The Lottery' is set in a small town which holds an annual drawing...which, at first, seems quite harmless. As the story progresses, however, the tension of the townspeople increases and the reader comes to realize that quite a lot must be at stake here! There are comments that some towns have stopped holding these lotteries, but Old Man Warner, who oversees the proceedings of the lottery, thinks that the town should hold true to tradition and continue them...When a certain family has been chosen (as indicated by a black dot on a slip of paper they receive), the family is narrowed down to a single person. This person is singled out to be stoned to death by all those who are around them! This story stirred up a lot of controversy for Shirley Jackson when it was published; she received quite a lot of letters that expressed the shock of the public over the strange, dark story which she had written. Many of those who wrote letters wondered whether 'The Lottery' was based on actual events that occurred somewhere!

While Jackson may be known best for this short story and others, it is her novels that I found truly enjoyable. 'The Bird's Nest' is an intriguing, and sometimes disturbing, tale of Elizabeth Richmond, a young employee at a museum who begins to receive threatening messages at her desk. Elizabeth begins to have headaches and memory lapses. Her Aunt Morgen grows worried, and Elizabeth goes to see a doctor. Doctor Wright uses hypnotism to uncover Elizabeth's true problems...only to find out she has multiple personalities! At first, there appears to be only one 'alternate' version of Elizabeth, but eventually other personalities reveal themselves. 'Betsy' is controlling and mean-spirited, 'Beth' appears more innocent and reserved, and 'Bess' is obsessed with money. Shirley Jackson's way of presenting this tale gives a haunting realism to all of the seemingly outrageous events that take place.

The other two novels, 'Life Among the Savages' and 'Raising Demons', seem like a stark contrast to the darkness of 'The Bird's Nest'! Both are interrelated tales of the action-packed, everyday life of a family told from the perspective of the mother. In the narration, Shirley Jackson takes especial notice of the smallest details, which makes both novels seem as if they were the direct accounts by a mother of her daily observations of her husband, children, and the trials and joys experienced in her life.

Though there are various newer releases of Shirley Jackson's works, you are more likely to find a cheap copy of this one at a used bookstore or online so...go for it!

The contents are as follows:
Preface by Stanley Edgar Hyman (husband of Shirley Jackson and literary critic)
Part One, Short Stories: 'The Daemon Lover', 'My Life with R. H. Macy', 'Colloquy', 'Pillar of Salt', 'The Renegade', 'Flower Garden', 'Elizabeth', 'Come Dance with Me in Ireland', 'Of Course', 'The Tooth', and 'The Lottery'
Part Two: 'The Bird's Nest'
Part Three: 'Life Among the Savages' and 'Raising Demons'

I love Shirley Jackson and have made it a point to collect everything she has written. I find her work to be engrossing and beautifully written. This collection shares some of her excellent non-fiction as well.