Good things really do come in small packages: in praise of short fiction
Novel reading is one of my favourite things to do. But I have a question 
for my fellow fiction aficionados: have you ever read a very long novel that you can barely remember? Years ago I tackled Dhalgren, an acclaimed science fiction novel a friend raved about whenever the subject of books came up. I knew I’d get no peace until I read it. So, on the brink of a four day holiday, in a state of eager anticipation, I brewed a pot of tea, nestled into a cozy corner and opened to page one of the 879 page epic. I can’t remember much of the next four days other than a growing sense of despair at being trapped in a world that was senseless, nightmarish, and to me at least, tedious. The only residue this tome left in my mind is a vague mental image of an unpleasant, dream-like city, pain and confusion (mostly mine, but I dimly recollect the main character got his share). And I’m pretty sure there were clouds—pinkish ones, I think—but maybe that was just my inner eye watching my brain cells vaporizing. As I turned the last page, the sun was setting on my holiday, and all I could think was, I want my four days back!
I lay the blame for my failure to appreciate Dhalgren on myself, not on the esteemed author Samuel R. Delaney. No doubt I had not developed the mental sinews to appreciate it. Sometimes we just aren’t ready for a book. This long and agonizing reading experience came to mind recently while I stood perplexed in North York Central Library, examining a delightful book series called Coming Attractions, which features short stories by Canadian writers. As I looked at these lovely little books, printed on beautiful, thick, textured paper, I wondered why so many of them were sitting on the shelf. Why aren’t more people taking them home? It certainly isn’t because they aren’t worthy. This long running series has introduced the work of many Canadian writers who have since become very well known, such as Rohinton Mistry, Frances Itani, and Bonnie Burnard. According to the Canadian literary journal The Fiddlehead, Coming Attractions is “a who’s who of our best young writers.” I can’t help but wonder if the reason Coming Attractions doesn’t get the attention it deserves is because it features short stories. Over the years, I’ve heard some readers say they won't read short stories — they want something more substantial, a fully realized world to immerse themselves in.
I get it. I love a thick, delicious novel too. But I’d like to take a moment to sing the charms of short fiction. Some of the most memorable and affecting pieces of literature I have ever read have been in the short form. Shirley Jackson’s disturbing story, The lottery, permanently occupies a dark corner of my mind . Once read, Flannery O’Connor’s deeply shocking A good man is hard to find will never be forgotten. Kate Chopin’s The story of an hour takes only a couple of minutes to read, yet the author conveys so much about a marriage with just a few, sure brush strokes. If you're heading up to cottage country this summer, I highly recommend "Death by landscape," in Margaret Atwood's short story collection Wilderness tips. In just a few pages, these great writers made an indelible impression on my mind.
Well, I think I've made my case for short fiction long enough. I do hope you will consider borrowing an issue or two of Coming Attractions or another of the many short story books we have in our short story collection. Search the library catalogue by typing in short stories in the search bar. (Warning: the number of results will be huge, so if you have a particular interest, such as horror stories, dog stories, funny stories, etc., please come to the information desk in any library, and the staff will be happy to do a focused search to fit your interests.) Or, if you like to browse, come to the second floor of North York Central Library and a staff member will show you our short story collection. This great art form deserves far more attention than it gets.
 |
|
 |
|
If Coming Attractions interests you, you might also like the series Best Canadian Stories
 |
 |
 |
 |
10 thoughts on “Good things really do come in small packages: in praise of short fiction”
Don’t beat yourself up, Maureen. The world in which we currently reside offers us so little time for ourselves and our own priorities, that to ‘lay the blame’ for not getting into a probably-too-long work is unnecessary self-flagellation. Sometimes it’s a style/taste question, for which there is no fault. Often it’s a successful-writer-being-ponderous problem for which the blame is fairly easily assigned:) Often too, it’s the case of successful-writer-refusing-to-be-edited-and-publisher-knowing-the-book-will-sell-anyway-and-so-not-pushing-it. MANY excellent authors suffer from this one, and really, it’s their fault, not ours as the reader.
If the author is not convincing us to turn the page, they are not doing their job. Us turning the page because the author is famous so the book must be good? That’s not the author working hard, that’s the author mailing it in. We, as readers, should hold them to account, by not beating ourselves up when we don’t enjoy their ‘work’ 🙂 Thanks for the head’s up on the short story stuff – I will give them a look.
Thanks for the comment, Jonathan. Yes, there are so many time pressures today…so many books to read, so little time. We should spend the little time we do have reading books we love. You’re right, I shouldn’t blame myself for not enjoying Dhalgren. Hey, I’m in good company. I read in Wikipedia that science fiction writers Philip K. Dick and Harlan Ellison really hated the book. Harlan Ellison hated it so much he threw it against a wall. I did the same myself once, to a book I couldn’t stand. Of course, I would never, ever do that to a library book.
Thanks for putting in a word in praise of Shirley Jackson. She made a huge impression on me as a teenager, too, so much so that I gave her collection featuring The Lottery to my niece. Twenty-odd years after I read it, it’s still just as chilling.
I don’t think anyone who has read Jackson’s story, “The Lottery” could ever forget it, even decades after reading it. A great short story has a way of embedding itself in the mind, don’t you think? Thanks for your comment.
Hello Maureen,
Thanks for another interesting post — once again, you’ve given us a lot to think about. I admire the way you toughed it out with a book that didn’t appeal to you. I’m afraid that I wouldn’t have been able to do that, especially with such a doorstopper of a book. In that regard, I like to think that I am simply following the advice offered by Sara Nelson, the former editor of Publishers Weekly and the author of “So Many Books, So Little Time.” Ms. Nelson said, as I dimly recall, that a good rule of thumb is to give a book 50 pages or so. If you don’t like it by then, you can put it down and never pick it up again, knowing that you’ve given it a good shot. (And, like Jonathon, I would also add that an author who hasn’t managed to get and hold the reader’s attention by page 50 — or whatever the milestone number of pages is — probably doesn’t really deserve to have many readers. So many books, so little time, indeed!)
I also found your mention of “The Lottery” very timely — I was just thinking about it the other day and would love to get my hands on a copy of it. Many thanks again for reminding us of the power of the well-written short story. Perhaps you’ll consider doing a post on novellas down the road? I’d love to hear your take on them too!
Debora
I like Ms. Nelson’s rule of thumb — I may begin employing the 50 page rule myself. I guess it really depends on the motives of the reader. If you’re reading for pleasure, you may even want to have a 25 page rule. But if you’re making a study of a text, I guess you’d just have to tough it out, no matter what.
Anyway, don’t admire my persistence in finishing Dhalgren. To be honest, I felt pressured, because I knew I would have to report back to my friend that I’d read it. Not exactly an admirable motivation! Novellas? Hmmmm…Maybe a topic for a future post…Thanks for the idea, and the comments, Debora.
In the library catalogue, the collections to which you refer are only listed up until 2010. Are more recent editions still being published and offered by the library?
Short stories are very popular at my house.
I would also recommend that readers consult the following:
Danuta Gleed Award for Cdn Short Fiction: http://www.writersunion.ca/cn_danutagleed.asp
G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction (the library, however, does not carry hardly any of their winners)
Frank O’Connor Short Prize: http://www.frankoconnor-shortstory-award.net/
http://theshortreview.blogspot.com/ for reviews.
And here’s a Canadian recommendation. I have just been reading Kathleen Daisy Miller’s Give Me Your Answer, a group of linked stories. I am amazed at the quality of her writing. In my mind, an easy competitor for Alice Munro. I don’t understand why she hasn’t been given more attention from prize-givers. Would be a good candidate for the CBC radio contest for Canadian books which have not received enough attention, whatever it’s called.
Thanks for all the excellent information in your comment. I will definitely pick up a copy of Give Me Your Answer. We do have the book in our collection. If anyone would like to place a hold on it, here is the link:
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM1002405&R=1002405
As for the collections I mentioned, Oberon Press publishes one of each, every year. You’re right, we have up to 2010 in the library at this point, but we will eventually get subsequent volumes as long as Oberon Press keeps publishing them. I’m so pleased to hear your family enjoys short stories! Happy reading…
We have the same pastime. When I don’t have anything to do, I always open my mini-library and get some novels to read the whole time. I don’t watch TV nor go shopping. I indulge myself into reading the novels.
I agree, Kathleen — sitting quietly and reading is a true pleasure. I always have a book on the go. Happy reading, and thanks for taking the time to comment.