Roman Fever

Roman Fever: Short story by Edith WhartonThe major themes of this Edith Wharton story are friendship, rivalry, jealousy, deception and passion. A notable feature is the gradual build-up of animosity between the main characters. Two American widows, lifelong friends, meet up in Rome. The pair have been measuring themselves against each other for most of their lives. The comparisons extend to their daughters, one of whom is more outgoing and vivacious than the other. In an effort to hurt the mother of this girl, the other reveals a cruel secret from the past. In the shattering conclusion, an even crueler secret is thrown back at her.

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The Middleman

The Middleman: Short story by Bharati MukherjeeThe most succinct summary of this Bharati Mukherjee story I’ve seen came from a Goodreads review: An Iraqi Jew unwittingly aids a Central American revolution. There is obviously a lot more to it, including lust, arms smuggling, treachery and murder. Moreover, rather than being a revolutionary hero, the protagonist is an unscrupulous American criminal on the run from the law. Although he calls himself a “middleman”, we don’t see him act as such. Being new to the country, he is hoping to make a living from things that fall. And something certainly does! Themes: lust, corruption, exploitation, betrayal, violence.

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The Fall of Edward Barnard

The Fall of Edward Barnard: Short story by W. Somerset MaughamAlthough ostensibly themed around a clash of cultures (East vs. West), this story from W. Somerset Maugham is also about alternative lifestyles (materialistic vs. minimalist). Through extensive use of irony, the story contrasts the lust for money, power and status of American industrialists and socialites with the Tahitian way of living in harmony with nature. In presenting the contrast, the story implies that although the environment a person grows up in shapes their values and beliefs, a change of surroundings can drastically alter them. Other themes: friendship, loyalty, romance, pride, racism.

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The Darling

The Darling: Short story by Anton ChekhovIn psychological terms, Anton Chekhov’s ‘darling’ (Olga) suffers from Codependency Personality Disorder. More specifically, she is a vicarious codependent – someone who suspends their identity and gains fulfillment through the accomplishments of another. Olga’s ‘attachments’ in life include her father, a theatre manager, a timber merchant, a veterinary surgeon, and a young boy. Her relationship with the boy differs from the others. Being forced to assume a ‘motherly’ role rekindles Olga’s female identity. Sadly, motherhood and codependency don’t sit well together. In rediscovering her own identity, Olga begins to smother that of the boy. Themes: codependency, subservience, death, abandonment, identity, motherhood.

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Grandpa’s Magic Hat

Grandpa's Magic Hat: Short story by Marilyn HelmerIn this story by Marilyn Helmer for Cricket Magazine, two brothers set out to prove their grandfather was joking when he told them an old straw hat he never wears has the magical ability to bring things to life. They decide to test the hat by placing it on the head of scarecrow standing in a neighbor’s garden. As they are doing this, the neighbor’s dog barks and the boy’s flee, leaving the hat behind. Later that night, they are shocked when a stranger dressed exactly like the scarecrow joins a neighbourhood barn dance.

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In the Garden of the North American Martyrs

In the Garden of the North American Martyrs: Short story by Tobias WolffThis early Tobias Wolff story is about a college history professor who has always played it safe by expounding non-controversial views. When her East Coast school of fifteen years closes, she finds tenure in Oregon. However, the climate is not to her liking. After gaining an interview for a position in a prestigious college in upstate New York, she learns that she is a token female candidate with no chance of success. Part of the application process is a lecture, where she finds her own voice for the first time. Themes: identity, betrayal, manipulation, academic integrity, conformity vs. original thought.

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The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber: Short story by Ernest HemingwayAuthor Ernest Hemingway goes to great lengths to set up an ambiguous ending to this story about a rich American couple’s fateful big game hunting safari in Africa. No longer (and perhaps never) in love, the couple barely tolerate each other. She can’t afford to divorce him, and he is unlikely to find a more attractive trophy wife. Readers are left to consider whether Francis’s death was murder or an unfortunate accident. What do you think? The major themes are clearly courage and masculinity. Other themes: fear; shame; violence; marriage breakdown; beauty & aging; adultery; misogyny & female stereotyping.

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Folie à Deux

Folie à Deux: Short story by William TrevorIn William Trevor’s Folie à Deux (foolishness shared by two), the protagonist’s chance meeting with a childhood friend brings back memories of a joint act of animal cruelty on an Irish beach. The protagonist has moved on; his friend Anthony has not. Anthony’s way of dealing with his guilt was to withdraw into himself. Over thirty years later, having “disappeared” and been presumed dead, he lives a solitary, reclusive life in Paris, still unable to shake off self-reproach for his part in their actions. Themes: friendship, shared secrets, childhood cruelty, guilt, alienation, rumination (obsessive reliving of traumatic events).

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