Featured Stories

The Horla

The Horla: Novelette by Guy de MaupassantThis story by Guy de Maupassant describes a man’s slow descent into madness, convinced that an invisible being he unknowingly lured from a passing ship is preying on his mind. As the entity (supposedly an otherworldly species of vampire that feeds on the life force of those it attaches to) gets stronger, he begins to lose his free will. Unable to flee, he traps it in his bedroom and burns his house to the ground. When this doesn’t work, he contemplates an even more extreme solution. Themes include reality vs. illusion, the unknown/supernatural, terror, madness, despair.

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Molly Whuppie

Molly Whuppie: Scottish folktale from Joseph JacobsThis Scottish folktale is one of those rare stories where the character who successfully defeats a giant is a girl. As often happens in folktales, Molly achieves this through gruesome actions. First, she tricks the giant into killing his three innocent daughters. Later, she tricks him into severely beating has kind wife, who had helped when Molly and her sisters needed food. As a reward, the girls marry into the family of a cowardly king who is happy to send Molly into danger three more times to satisfy his greed. There don’t seem to be any true heroes here.

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The Prussian Officer

The Prussian Officer: Short story by D. H. LawrenceThe central themes of D. H. Lawrence’s The Prussian Officer are homoerotic attraction and abuse of power. An aristocratic officer becomes envious of and sexually attracted towards his orderly. Drawn by the twenty-two-year-old’s youthful innocence and vigor, the officer denies and tries to repress his feelings. Sensing what is happening, the orderly is cooler than usual towards him. The agitated officer responds cruelly, and the tension between them mounts until reaching a point where the orderly can take no more. Minor themes: (the officer) jealousy, denial, obsession, sadism; (the orderly) duty, loss of innocence, humiliation, isolation, loss of self-control.

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Cicada

Cicada: Short story by Camille AckerThis coming-of-age story by Camille Acker initially comes across as yet another “too good to be true” tale about a young African-American girl from a working-class family overcoming the odds. (In this case to win a piano competition against privileged white kids from a wealthy neighborhood.) The narrative takes a turn after the competition as her family’s lower socio-economic status becomes clear. Provoked by the rude, condescending attitude of another competitor, she attacks the other girl’s chauffeur-driven car with the only weapon available… cast off cicada shells! Themes include poverty, social class, parental love, success, pride, identity.

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Roses, Rhododendron

Roses, Rhododendron: Short story by Alice AdamsThis enchanting story by Alice Adams is about friendship, love (for people and places), and marriage. The narrator recalls how, after she and her mother moved from Boston to North Carolina, a lifelong friendship developed after she fell permanently in love with a house, with a family of three people and with an area of countryside. She forms a strong bond with each member of the family, and later learns that their shared fondness for her may have been the only thing that kept them together. Themes include friendship, mother-daughter relationships, marriage, city vs. country living, the beauty of nature.

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Children of the Ash-Covered Loam

Children of the Ash-Covered Loam: Short story by N. V. M. GonzalezThis charming story by N. V. M. Gonzalez describes life and ritual during the planting season in a Philippine subsistence farming family. The major conflict in the story, where families band together to communally sow each other’s kaingin (slashed and burned fields), is with nature. A feature of the story is the coming of age of a seven-year-old boy as he receives his first farming responsibility and comes to understand how life emerges from the dark womb of the land. Themes include family, community, living in harmony with the land, the cycle of life, superstition and ritual.

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Ringing the Changes

Ringing the Changes: Novelette by Robert AickmanThis story by Robert Aickman describes the frightening first night of a delayed honeymoon. The bride, much younger than the groom, wanted to spend their time in a remote coastal village neither had visited before. The moment they arrive, a church bell starts ringing continuously. It is out of tourist season, the streets are empty, the hotel staff act strangely, and there is a sickening, rotten smell in the air. Later, the bells of every church in the village begin ringing with urgency, heralding a macabre annual festival involving the walking dead. Themes: marriage, insecurity, isolation, class, fear, the supernatural.

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Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Short story by Rudyard KiplingThe major themes of this famous children’s story from Rudyard Kipling’s Second Jungle Book are duty, loyalty and courage. When viewed from a Western perspective, the story’s motif is the triumph of good over evil. However, as the cobra is a revered Hindu religious symbol, the plot can also be interpreted as an allegory of colonial conquest: the victory of “benevolent” British imperialists (Teddy and his family) and the Indians who support them (Rikki-tikki) over those resisting domination and change (Nag and Nagaina). Other themes include family, the balance of nature, progress and peace under British colonialism.

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