The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” one of the scariest tales of the twentieth century, made a splash when it was originally printed in The New Yorker in 1948. It is now regarded as a great piece of short fiction, notable for its blend of subdued suspense and impeccable descriptions of both the terrifying and the banal.
The Lottery and Other Stories, the lone anthology of stories published during Shirley Jackson’s lifetime, brings together “The Lottery” and 24 other equally outlandish short stories. Together, they showcase Jackson’s extraordinary variety — from the funny to the awful, the unnerving to the ominous — and her skill as a storyteller.
The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
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The Lottery is taught in writing programs all around the world and is frequently cited as one of the greatest American short stories of all time. It concerns a little American town that looks to be hosting a routine election. It’s merely a typical aspect of their reality. The situation is well known to all. The mystery surrounding this seemingly unimportant event has you, the reader, feeling extremely alienated. However, as the narrative comes to a close, you start to realize that what they are voting for is to stone a community member to death. Never is the reason given in detail; it is simply said that it occurs, that it must occur, and that it will occur without hesitation.
The Lottery and Other Stories is an excellent collection of short stories from a writer who has made a lasting impression on me. The majority of the stories are great or very good, and only a handful are merely passable. The overall calibre is really high. The stories are unusual and sometimes scary, and they are quite a mixed bag. Unquestionably one of the best stories I’ve ever read is The Lottery. They fell on her, creepy and horrifying to high heaven with probably the best last sentence ever written.
