The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The story of a woman who is driven crazy by wall-paper (well, by the things the wall-paper represents). It's a train wreck you can't look away from, the kind of story where you go crazy along with the narrator. Her husband drives me crazy and the whole story makes me feel like I'm drowning. Honestly, the end feels sloppy and it bothers me that the beginning is written as if in a journal, while the end is clearly her insane thoughts. Maybe she wrote the beginning and dictated the end?
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County by Mark Twain
I love Mark Twain. The man is hilarious. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County is a story within a story. The first is about a man who doesn't want to hear a story, the second is the story being forced on the first man and it is more a sketch. It tells about Jim Smiley who is addicted to betting. Seriously, nothing happens in this story, but I will love it forever, because Jim bets the preacher that his sick wife won't make it. That sounds terrible when I say it that way, but I laughed out loud when I read it.
The Storm by Kate Chopin
Erotic fiction from 1898, it tells the story of an affair that makes everyone's lives better. In fact, everyone is so over-the-moon happy by the end, that I briefly wondered if the story was satire. Then, I dismissed that idea and decided to go to Louisiana to get myself a lover. Clearly, they make them better there.
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Haha, Louisiana it is. This is so cute. If I'm being perfectly honest here, I probably won't end up reading anyone- although I'm strangely intrigued by the first one- but I loved reading your little reviews:)
ReplyDeleteK, now I want to read the wallpaper one just to see how crazy it gets! The last one...I probably wouldn't read it but, yeah. I want a man from Louisiana like Gambit from X-men. Sigh!!!!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Well, I loved your analysis, even though I LOVE The Yellow Wallpaper. I haven't read it in a while, but I just love it... The other two sound good, too! :D
ReplyDeleteOut of the three, The Yellow Wallpaper is the only one I haven't read before, so I might have to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I don't read a lot of individual short stories. But when my favorite authors put out collections, I jump on those! Maeve Binchy writes a lot of them too!
ReplyDeleteThe Yellow Wallpaper sounds vaguly familiar (and not just cause you were reading it at my house, it's all the crazy.) I hope you are enjoying your school reading (or at least I hope it's not a drag)!
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