Rereading the Short Story

The short story is still relatively neglected by critics, despite the fact that it is a form peculiarly open to new critical discourses. In this collection of essays, the contributors bring critical approaches to bear on the short story form. The first group of essays is primarily theoretical in orientation, dealing with such issues as gender and marginality in short fiction; the second group offers readings of the work of short story writers such as Alice Munro and John McGahern, always maintaining close links between theory and practice as the contributors try to define the meaning and status of this form. Clare Hanson's previous publications include "Katherine Mansfield" (with Andrew Gurr), "Short Stories and Short Fictions, 1880-1980" and "The Critical Writings of Katherine Mansfield".