The New Short Story Theories

<div> <p>The first edition of May's <i>Short Story Theories</i> (1976) opened with an essay entitled The Short Story: An Underrated Art. Almost two decades later the short story suffers no such slight. Publishers and critics have become increasingly interested in the form which has enjoyed a renaissance led by such writers as Raymond Carver Tobias Wolff Ann Beattie Bobbie Ann Mason and Mary Robison. An important part of this revival of interest <i>Short Story Theories</i> has continued to attract a strong and loyal audience among students and teachers.<br> <br> <i>The New Short Story Theories</i> includes a few basic pieces from the earlier volume-Poe's Hawthorne review Brander Matthew's extension and formalization of Poe's theories and essays by Randall Jarrell Elizabeth Bowen and Nadine Gordimer-but most of the essays are new to the collection.<br> <br> Addressing problems of definition historical considerations issues of technique and cognitive approaches essays include:<br> The Tale as Genre in Short Story Fiction by W. S. Penn<br> O. Henry and the Theory of the Short Story by Suzanne C. Ferguson<br> On Writing by Raymond Carver<br> From Tale to Short Story by Robert F. Marler<br> A Cognitive Approach to Storyness by Susan Lohafer<br> <br> May's new collection will continue to highlight the short story to provoke debate and to enrich our experience of a demanding and rewarding literary form.</p> </div>