Novellas | shortsonline

Daisy Miller: A Study in Two Parts

shortsonline — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:00:22 +0000

Novella by Henry James. The behaviour of a young, free-spirited American socialite traveling through Southern Europe is scandalous by the standards of the American expat community. A question in the mind of a man smitten by her is whether the enigmatic woman could possibly be as innocent as she appears.

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The Pursuer

shortsonline — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 21:00:48 +0000

Novella by Julio Cortázar. A fictional representation of the personal life and last months of jazz legend Carlie Parker. The story not only pays tribute to Parker’s extraordinary talent, but also lays bare the demons (mental health problems, heroin addiction, and alcohol abuse) that led to his death at thirty-four.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s

shortsonline — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 21:00:06 +0000

Novella by Truman Capote. A budding writer describes his relationship with his downstairs neighbour, mysterious New York café society girl Holly (Holiday) Golightly. Holly lives by socializing with, and seeking a husband from among, wealthy men who take her to clubs and restaurants and give her money and expensive gifts.

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Carmilla

shortsonline — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 21:00:50 +0000

Novella by Sheridan Le Fanu. A vampire seems to have a taste for blue blood. Peasant victims die quickly; two young aristocratic women enjoy her seductive company for longer. An unanswered question: Does Carmilla have something else, such as spending eternity together, in mind for them?

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Animal Farm

shortsonline — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 21:00:02 +0000

Novella by George Orwell. An allegory of the 1917 Russian Revolution and rise of Stalinism, highlighting the lust for and corrupting effect of power, progressive exploitation of the working class, and how an unenlightened populace can be manipulated into continued acceptance of a failed/corrupt political system.

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The Wendigo

shortsonline — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 21:55:42 +0000

Novella by Algernon Blackwood. A hunting party encounters a malevolent being said by Native Indian folklore to haunt the wilds of Eastern Canada. One of their guides is taken and returned as a misshapen shadow of himself. He is taken again, and reappears “bereft of mind, memory and soul”.

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Heart of Darkness

shortsonline — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 22:04:03 +0000

Novella by Joseph Conrad. A riverboat captain travels into the heart of Africa to contact an enigmatic trading post manager employing questionable methods. The story explores the ‘darkness’ of unexplored Africa, the ‘darkness’ of European imperialism, and the potential ‘darkness’ in the heart of every man.

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Small Change

shortsonline — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 23:14:43 +0000

Novella by Yehudit Hendel. An Israeli woman suffers severe psychological trauma while imprisoned for a minor crime in post-World War 2 Switzerland. After growing up in an oppressive atmosphere dominated by a cold, autocratic father, her nightmarish ordeal is an allusion to Germany's inhuman treatment of detainees during the holocaust.

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

shortsonline — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 01:25:24 +0000

Novella by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. A fictional account of life in a former Soviet Gulag (forced labor camp). The system is designed to break inmates through a combination of harsh conditions, brutality and absurd rules. Some survive with dignity, others through theft, scavenging, and snitching. Many don’t survive.

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The Soul is Not a Smithy

shortsonline — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 09:55:36 +0000

Novella by David Foster Wallace. A nine-year-old boy daydreams as he stares out the window during his fourth grade Civics class. He is oblivious to the panic of classmates as a deranged substitute teacher writes KILL, KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL repeatedly on the chalkboard, and remains after they flee.

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