What is your all-time favorite short story?

Question

I want a cool short story to teach

high school
:)

Answer 1

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
An Ordinary Day, with Peanuts by Shirley Jackson
The Secret Life of Walter Middy by Doug Van Pelt

Answer 2

From the standpoint of teaching stories to high school students, I can offer a few unique suggestions.

Try these:

"A Small, Good Thing" by Raymond Carver (a gorgeous story by one of the 20th century's best short story writers). Personally, I think "Cathedral" is his best story, but it includes some content that may be deemed inappropriate for high school students.

Absolutely ANY story by Anton Chekov...my personal favorites are "Misery", "The Beauties", and "Gooseberries". He is, in my humble opinion, the absolute pinnacle of short story writers and the blueprint for every successful short writer since.

"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway...Hemingway's most powerful short story.

"Taste" by Roald Dahl - An eerie story bound to keep a high school student's interest.

"Barn Burning" by William Faulkner

"The Life You Save May Be Your Own" by Flannery O'Connor - All of O'Connor's best stories are rather disturbing.

"The Dead" by James Joyce - One of my personal favorites and an all-time classic...may be more suitable (in complexity) for college students, however.

I'm sure I've missed quite a few great ones, but this list might help you steer clear of the more cliche O Henry and Poe suggestions. Most of these suggestions are still copyright protected, so may not be found online. A few of the stories(Chekov for certain, perhaps Hemingway and Faulkner) can likely be found online (just do a search).

Hope this helps, and good luck. It's always refreshing to see teachers looking for something new and extraordinary to teach. A great short story isn't just a thrill or a trick...it makes you reflect and see things in a way you may never have seen otherwise.

Answer 3

I am so sorry, I don't have just one. These are the ones that I return to again and again.

From the standpoint of teaching them, some may be more suitable than others. I have included a link to each one so you can see them and read them if you like.

"The Mezzotint" by M.R.James
--An unusual ghost story that also offers a charming look at English college life in the early 20th Century. It could be the jumping off point for a good discussion about what creates suspense and horror.

http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/mezztint.htm

"The Dead" by James Joyce
--A lovely story that gives me something new every time I read it, and its last few lines echo in my head as some of the most beautiful English prose ever written. It might be a little too subtle for high school, but it depends on your kids.

http://ee.1asphost.com/shortstoryclassics/joycethedead.html

"The Appointment in Samarra" by W. Somerset Maugham
--I was told an Arab folk version of this when young, and it made a deep impression on me. This one, it seems to me, would be great for a discussion of irony. For being such a short little story, it also has a lot to say about destiny.

http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english320/Maugham-AS.htm

"The Chaste Clarissa" by John Cheever
--A sex-free story about seduction that showcases Cheever's beautiful use of irony and his keen understanding of people and what makes them tick.

(No online link for this one.)

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
--A clever revenge story that never ceases to snag the attention of high school age kids. I also think it is an interesting story because you are never sure if Montresor is insane or clever.

http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/poe/works/cask_amo.html

Answer 4

My favorite Poe short story is The Pit and the Pendulum, because it was interesting to be how humans react when they can literally do nothing but wait for death, and how hope is always there, even in the face of Father Time, or the grim reaper. "And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave." I also reallllly enjoyed The Tell-Tale Heart, it entertained me to no end. The old man and his weird eye sort of creeped me out, but the way the murderer got the old man to trust him fascinated me. Quote: "I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him." How ironic. My favorite poem of his is The Raven, and I quite enjoyed, The Mask of the Red Death as well, along with The Fall of the House of Usher. I saw Usher performed in a play when I was in grade school, which began my interest in Mr. Poe. My favorite quote of his period is "Convinced myself, I seek not to convince," from Berniece.

Answer 5

The Christmas Gift by Henry James . A story of people trying hard to give each other the present thy think they would like most with much personal sacrifice to have it blow back i their face , but it ends with a certain amount of heart filling romanticism and a touch of Philosophy

Answer 6

The Most Dangerous Game
or anything by James Thurber

Answer 7

When Cowboy Chicken Came to Town
by Ha Jin

Answer 8

I like American folklore. My favorite folk stories are about John Henry, but I like stories about Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Pecos Bill, etc. too. My kids (grade school and preschool ages) love them too...not sure if there are versions that would be geared more toward high school students.

Answer 9

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card

Answer 10

The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe. It's a scary story.