Randall Jarrell's Book of Stories
Storytelling as a fundamental human impulse, one that announces itself at the moment, hidden in infancy, that dreams begin—this is what the poet and critic Randall Jarrell set out to illuminate in this extraordinary book. Here Jarrell presents ballads, parables, anecdotes, and legends along with some of the finest work of Chekhov, Babel, Elizabeth Bowen, Isak Dinesen, Kafka, Peter Taylor, and Katherine Anne Porter. This wonderful anthology, with its celebrated introductory essay, enlarges and...
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Storytelling as a fundamental human impulse, one that announces itself at the moment, hidden in infancy, that dreams begin—this is what the poet and critic Randall Jarrell set out to illuminate in this extraordinary book. Here Jarrell presents ballads, parables, anecdotes, and legends along with some of the finest work of Chekhov, Babel, Elizabeth Bowen, Isak Dinesen, Kafka, Peter Taylor, and Katherine Anne Porter. This wonderful anthology, with its celebrated introductory essay, enlarges and deepens our perception of the storyteller's art and its central place in the world of our feelings.Contents RANDALL JARRELL: Introduction FRANZ KAFKA: A Country Doctor ANTON CHEKHOV: Gusev RAINER MARIA RILKE: The Wrecked Houses; The Big Thing ROBERT FROST: The Witch of Coös GIOVANNI VERGA: La Lupa NIKOLAI GOGOL: The Nose ELIZABETH BOWEN: Her Table Spread LUDWIG TIECK: Fair Eckbert BERTOLT BRECHT: Concerning the Infanticide, Marie Farrar LEO TOLSTOY: The Three Hermits PETER TAYLOR: What You Hear from 'Em?HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN: The Fir Tree KATHERINE ANNE PORTER: He ANONYMOUS: The Red King and the Witch ANTON CHEKHOV: Rothschild's Fiddle THE BROTHERS GRIMM: Cat and Mouse in Partnership E. M. FORSTER: The Story of the Siren THE BOOK OF JONAH FRANZ KAFKA: The Bucket-Rider SAINT-SIMON: The Death of Monseigneur ISAAC BABEL: Awakening CHUANG T'ZU: Five Anecdotes HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL: A Tale of the Cavalry WILLIAM BLAKE: The Mental Traveller D. H. LAWRENCE: Samson and Delilah LEO TOLSTOY: The Porcelain Doll IVAN TURGENEV: Byezhin Prairie WILLIAM WORDSWORTH: The Ruined Cottage FRANK O'CONNOR: Peasants ISAK DINESEN: Sorrow-Acre
IntroductionA Country Doctor3Gusev11The Wrecked Houses, The Big Thing27The Witch of Coos41La Lupa47The Nose53Her Table Spread85Fair Eckbert95Concerning the Infanticide, Marie Farrar115The Three Hermits119What You Hear from 'Em?127The Fir Tree147He157The Red King and the Witch169Rothschild's Fiddle175Cat and Mouse in Partnership187The Story of the Siren191The Book of Jonah201The Bucket-Rider205The Death of Monseigneur209Awakening227Five Anecdotes235A Tale of the Cavalry241The Mental Traveller251Samson and Delilah255The Porcelain Doll275Byezhin Prairie281The Ruined Cottage305Peasants321Sorrow Acre331
\ From the Publisher"Long out of print, this landmark volume—and the sweeping essay at the front—may change how you think about fiction. (It may also change how you think about your own life.) This is a book to return to, and to keep." — Stephen Burt\ "It has been clear for some time that Randall Jarrell is one of the most gifted poets and critics of his generation." — The New York Times Book Review\ "Randall Jarrell was such a gifted reader of poetry that it’s easy to overlook how keenly he read and discussed prose. The introduction to this wide—ranging collection is alone worth the price of admission: a brilliant, characteristically light—stepping little journey into the heart of the narrative impulse. This is as fine an entry into the art of the short story as any I know." — Brad Leithauser\ "[Jarrell was] perhaps the most fearsome (and admired) American critic of the twentieth century." — The Atlantic Monthly\ \ "My favorite short—story anthology is Randall Jarrell’s, with a brilliant essay as a preface." — Michael Dirda, The Washignton Post\ \ \
