- Author
- Emily Temple (Literary Hub)
- Published
- August 19, 2020
- Kind
- Online list article with a short blurb for each entry
- Original
- lithub.com/43-of-the-most-iconic-short-stories-in-the-english-language/
- Subject
- Fiction and literature
- Themes
- Taste and judgment
What it is
Emily Temple, managing editor at Lit Hub, wrote the list. It picks stories that became cultural shorthand rather than the best ones. A second list suggests stories that deserve more fame.
What it says
- Temple defines iconic as a story that has entered general cultural consciousness.
- Temple says icon status is highly subjective and tied to American culture.
- Film adaptations and catchy, reworkable titles help a story become iconic.
- Raymond Carver's title is cited for spawning many echoes, from Murakami to Englander.
- Temple counts some novellas, such as The Turn of the Screw, as stories.
- Temple concedes the main list is too white and male and adds a second list.
What evidence it gives
The page is a list with one short blurb per entry. Blurbs cite adaptations, a Vonnegut quote and personal anecdotes. It gives no reader data. Its few counts, such as 17 film adaptations, come from Wikipedia.
Interests and limits
Lit Hub may earn a commission on books linked from the page. The selection is one editor's taste and covers American readers only. No method is given for choosing the stories. The page is a list, not an argument.