Ann Charters has an acute sense of which stories work most effectively in the classroom and knows that writers, not editors, have the most interesting and useful things to say about the making and the meaning of fiction. For those who want a smaller, less expensive anthology, the compact edition of The Story and Its Writer is the most comprehensive, diverse -- the best-selling -- introduction to fiction available, notable for its student appeal as well as its quality and range. To complement the stories, Charters includes her lasting innovation: an array of the writers' own commentaries on the craft and traditions of fiction. For in-depth, illustrated studies of particular writers, her Casebooks provide unparalleled opportunities for discussion and writing.
For a shorter, more affordable option, the compact edition offers all the editorial features of the full edition with about half the stories and commentaries.
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ANN CHARTERS (Ph.D., Columbia University) is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut and has taught courses in the short story for over thirty years. A preeminent authority on the Beat writers, Charters has written a critically acclaimed biography of Jack Kerouac; compiled Beats & Company, a collection of her own photographs of Beat writers; and edited the best-selling Portable Beat Reader. Her books include The Kerouac Reader, Selected Letters of Jack Kerouac, 1957-1969, Beat Down to Your Soul, and The Portable Sixties Reader. Her other textbooks with Bedford/St. Martin's include The American Short Story and Its Writer, and Literature and Its Writers, co-edited with Samuel Charters.
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This review is from: The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (Paperback)
This anthology was something I stumbled upon in college and completely changed the way I approached reading and writing. The stories are a wide variety and the writers writing about writing is a fantastic resource. This is one of the most precious pieces to my library and a must for any serious reader and writer.
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This is such a great book -- one of the most valuable on my shelves. Amy Charters has made wonderful choices here -- she's managed to create an anthology that simultaneously does justice to the classics while remaining hip and accessible. For those who like background information, there's a handy appendix filled with writers either talking about their own work or commenting on a selection in the book.
For those who have not "taken" to short stories, I suggest you consider The Story and its Writer. For teachers, this is simply a great resource -- I use it all the time.
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This review is from: The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (Paperback)
This compilation of short stories was used for my Intro. to the Short Story college course. Our professor only picked out certain stories but I found myself reading unassigned stories myself. Some of these stories are wonderful. My favorite was "The Widow's Son" by Mary Lavin. Some other noteworthy stories: "Hills Like White Elephants" Hemingway, "Girl" by J. Kincaid. Too many more to list, a course book I am actually keeping so I can finish reading it. Usually I can't wait to close them after the course and not see them anymore! :)
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