This is a concise yet comprehensive treatment of the Americanshort story that includes an historical overview of the topic aswell as discussion of notable American authors and individualstories, from Benjamin Franklin's "The Speech of MissPolly Baker" in 1747 to "The Joy Luck Club". Includes a selection of writers chosen not only for theircontributions of individual stories but for bodies of work thatadvanced the boundaries of short fiction, including WashingtonIrving, Sarah Orne Jewett, Stephen Crane, Jamaica Kincaid, and TimO'Brien Addresses the ways in which American oral storytelling andother narrative traditions were integral to the formation andflourishing of the short story genre Written in accessible and engaging prose for students at alllevels by a renowned literary scholar to illuminate an importantgenre that has received short shrift in scholarly literature of thelast century Includes a glossary defining the most common terms used inliterary history and in critical discussions of fiction, and abibliography of works for further study