Short Stories Flashcards
Tell-Tale Heart, The
Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed.
Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the narrator committed.
Tell-Tale Heart, The
A Hunger Artist
Franz Kafka, 1922. The experiences of a hunger artist, a person who publicly fasts for the entertainment of others.
Franz Kafka, 1922. The experiences of a hunger artist, a person who publicly fasts for the entertainment of others.
A Hunger Artist
Lottery, The
Shirley Jackson, 1948. The story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery”, in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.
Shirley Jackson, 1948. The story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery”, in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.
Lottery, The
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Ambrose Bierce, 1890. The final seconds of the life of Peyton Farquhar, a southern planter, during the Civil War.
Ambrose Bierce, 1890. The final seconds of the life of Peyton Farquhar, a southern planter, during the Civil War.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
My Old Man
Ernest Hemingway, 1923. The story tells of a boy named Joe whose father is a steeplechase jockey, riding in races on tracks in the Milan.
Ernest Hemingway, 1923. The story tells of a boy named Joe whose father is a steeplechase jockey, riding in races on tracks in the Milan.
My Old Man
Gift of the Magi, The
O. Henry, 1905. The tale of a young husband and wife who long to give each other meaningful Christmas presents. The couple is constrained by their meagre budget, so each gives up something they treasure in order to afford a gift for the other.
O. Henry, 1905. The tale of a young husband and wife who long to give each other meaningful Christmas presents. The couple is constrained by their meagre budget, so each gives up something they treasure in order to afford a gift for the other.
Gift of the Magi, The
One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts
Shirley Jackson, 1955. A seemingly ordinary man fills his pockets with candy and peanuts and walks the streets of New York, helping strangers.
Shirley Jackson, 1955. A seemingly ordinary man fills his pockets with candy and peanuts and walks the streets of New York, helping strangers.
One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts
Nightingale and the Rose, The
Oscar Wilde, 1888. A boy of philosophy fallen in love with a professor’s daughter, wanted to dance with her in a ball but she said that if he would bring a red rose for her then she would dance with him.
Oscar Wilde, 1888. A boy of philosophy fallen in love with a professor’s daughter, wanted to dance with her in a ball but she said that if he would bring a red rose for her then she would dance with him.
Nightingale and the Rose, The
Snows of Kilimanjaro, The
Ernest Hemingway, 1936. The story focuses on the self-critical ruminations and memories of a writer dying of a preventable case of gangrene on safari.
Ernest Hemingway, 1936. The story focuses on the self-critical ruminations and memories of a writer dying of a preventable case of gangrene on safari.
Snows of Kilimanjaro, The
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Joyce Carol Oates, 1966. The story follows Connie, a 15 year old girl through her life and summer in 1966. Her summer comes to a halt one afternoon while her family is away from their home. She meets a stranger named Arnold Friend whose interest in her may not be what it seems.
Joyce Carol Oates, 1966. The story follows Connie, a 15 year old girl through her life and summer in 1966. Her summer comes to a halt one afternoon while her family is away from their home. She meets a stranger named Arnold Friend whose interest in her may not be what it seems.
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, The
Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973. With deliberately both vague and vivid descriptions, the narrator depicts a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, whose prosperity depends on the perpetual misery of a single child.
Ursula K. Le Guin, 1973. With deliberately both vague and vivid descriptions, the narrator depicts a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, whose prosperity depends on the perpetual misery of a single child.
Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, The
Cat That Lived a Million Times, The
Yoko Sano, 1977. A Buddhist allegory of birth, death and rebirth. This is the tale of a cat with more than nine lives who keeps being reborn to owners he dislikes, until he discovers freedom and love.
Yoko Sano, 1977. A Buddhist allegory of birth, death and rebirth. This is the tale of a cat with more than nine lives who keeps being reborn to owners he dislikes, until he discovers freedom and love.
Cat That Lived a Million Times, The
You Are Special
Max Lucado, 1997. Every day the small wooden people called Wemmicks do the same thing: stick either gold stars or gray dots on one another. The pretty ones—those with smooth wood and fine paint—always get stars. The talented ones do, too. Others, though, who can do little or who have chipped paint, get ugly gray dots. Like Punchinello. Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is—no matter what other Wemmicks may think.
Max Lucado, 1997. Every day the small wooden people called Wemmicks do the same thing: stick either gold stars or gray dots on one another. The pretty ones—those with smooth wood and fine paint—always get stars. The talented ones do, too. Others, though, who can do little or who have chipped paint, get ugly gray dots. Like Punchinello. Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is—no matter what other Wemmicks may think.
You Are Special
Jolly Corner, The
Henry James, 1908. The adventures of Spencer Brydon as he explores the empty New York house where he grew up. He encounters a “sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity.” The Jolly Corner is the nickname he gave to his childhood home. Brydon begins to believe that his alter ego-the ghost of the man he might have been is haunting the house. The theme of unlived lives runs throughout the story.
Henry James, 1908. The adventures of Spencer Brydon as he explores the empty New York house where he grew up. He encounters a “sensation more complex than had ever before found itself consistent with sanity.” The Jolly Corner is the nickname he gave to his childhood home. Brydon begins to believe that his alter ego-the ghost of the man he might have been is haunting the house. The theme of unlived lives runs throughout the story.
Jolly Corner, The
Yellow Wallpaper, The
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892. The deterioration of a woman’s mental health while she is on a “rest cure” on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1892. The deterioration of a woman’s mental health while she is on a “rest cure” on a rented summer country estate with her family. Her obsession with the yellow wallpaper in her bedroom marks her descent into psychosis from her depression throughout the story.
Yellow Wallpaper, The
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Harlan Ellison, 1967. The story is set against the backdrop of World War III, where a sentient supercomputer named AM, born from the merging of the world’s major defense computers, eradicates humanity except for five individuals. These survivors—Benny, Gorrister, Nimdok, Ted, and Ellen—are kept alive by AM to endure endless torture as a form of revenge against their creators. The story unfolds through the eyes of Ted, the narrator, detailing their perpetual misery and quest for canned food in AM’s vast, underground complex, only to face further despair.
Harlan Ellison, 1967. The story is set against the backdrop of World War III, where a sentient supercomputer named AM, born from the merging of the world’s major defense computers, eradicates humanity except for five individuals. These survivors—Benny, Gorrister, Nimdok, Ted, and Ellen—are kept alive by AM to endure endless torture as a form of revenge against their creators. The story unfolds through the eyes of Ted, the narrator, detailing their perpetual misery and quest for canned food in AM’s vast, underground complex, only to face further despair.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Fall of the House of Usher, The
Edgar Allan Poe, 1839. A story about an unnamed narrator who is going to visit his ill friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick’s twin sister Madeline is also ill with this unknown disease and Roderick believes that his house is sentient. The death and burial of Madeline is the catalyst for a series of supernatural and disturbing events, culminating in a grand finale which leaves the narrator fleeing from the house as it comes crumbling down.
Edgar Allan Poe, 1839. A story about an unnamed narrator who is going to visit his ill friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick’s twin sister Madeline is also ill with this unknown disease and Roderick believes that his house is sentient. The death and burial of Madeline is the catalyst for a series of supernatural and disturbing events, culminating in a grand finale which leaves the narrator fleeing from the house as it comes crumbling down.
Fall of the House of Usher, The
Black Cat, The
Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. The story of an alcoholic who is driven by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him to become even more irrationally violent.
Edgar Allan Poe, 1843. The story of an alcoholic who is driven by his addiction. He tortures and kills his cat, Pluto. Then, a stray cat that looks almost exactly like the cat he murdered except for a gallows mark on its chest follows him home and drives him to become even more irrationally violent.
Black Cat, The
Masque of Red Death, The
Edgar Allan Poe, 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero’s attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose “costume” proves to contain nothing tangible inside it. The guests also die in turn.
Edgar Allan Poe, 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero’s attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose “costume” proves to contain nothing tangible inside it. The guests also die in turn.
Masque of Red Death, The
