Masterpieces of Short Fiction
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Narrated by:
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Michael Krasny
About this listen
More than simply a shorter version of the novel, the short story is a unique and rewarding literary form in itself. It offers a world in miniature faithfully captured by the author's mastery of character, plot, setting, image, and theme. The time it takes to read a short story may be brief, but its impact lasts much longer.
Short story writers see by the light of the flash," says author and Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer. "Theirs is the art of the only thing that one can be sure of - the present moment."
These 24 lectures guide you deep into 23 renowned works written by some of the acknowledged masters of the genre, illuminating the remarkable variety, breathtaking artistry, and profound themes to be found in such miniature masterpieces as Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," Isaac Babel's "My First Goose," Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers," Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," and more.
Using examples from the stories themselves, Professor Krasny illuminates each author's virtuosic development of character, plot, setting, imagery, theme, and language. As you progress through the course, you hone your ability to recognize and assess these elements.PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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- Unabridged
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As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
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Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
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Technically Speaking
- By: Michael Elliot
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Oakland-bred LaVeesha “Vee” Gilliam (Coco Jones) is a determined single mother of an autistic son and a gifted aspiring coder. When Vee loses her job as a food-services worker at the onsite restaurant at Grapengine, a large Silicon Valley tech company, she’s unable to pay for her son’s much-needed specialized education. By a twist of fate, mistaken identity, and her tech skills, Vee meets Troy Wilson (Keith Powers), the company’s wealthy founder and CEO and a wunderkind in the tech industry, who believes that Vee is a college-educated techie who works at his company.
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Overdue Diverse Representation in Tech!
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Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.
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The definitive version!
- By Kristopher G. Hesson on 10-03-24
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Slayers: A Buffyverse Story
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Original cast members from the beloved TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reunite for an all-new adventure about connections that never die—even if you bury them. A decade has passed since the epic final battle that concluded Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV). The game-changing spell that gave power to all potential Slayers persists. With new Slayers constantly emerging, things are looking grim for the bad guys.
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A dream come true
- By Anonymous User on 10-12-23
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Brain Damage
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- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
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As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now, she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her...before he finishes the job he started.
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Who Else Laughed, Cried, and Shuddered?
- By Jennifer Chichester on 09-16-22
By: Freida McFadden
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What listeners say about Masterpieces of Short Fiction
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jim
- 04-27-23
Worthwhile overview
I found this to be an enjoyable course. It focuses on masters but still introduced me to some new pieces or authors. I breezed through the course and read some of the originals/bought a few short story collections after a given author was discussed. my only (slight) criticism is similar to others voiced in that I wish he went into a little bit more depth about why a given author's prose or narrative makes a piece great. Very worth a listen regardless though.
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- K. A. Svolto
- 08-17-22
insightful
An insightful and entertaining instructor. I wish it didn't end and that he could cover so many more authors and stories. excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Willie Wilson
- 12-18-13
A Few New Ideas for Short Fiction
What did you love best about Masterpieces of Short Fiction?
I enjoyed getting another point of view for stories I often teach.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Professor Michael Krasny?
Depends on the topic.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Story
- SandyK
- 12-19-21
Ultimately Disappointing
The teacher does some things well - he’s picked some important stories; he brings to bear important data around the works and their authors; and he presents the material in well structured lectures.
But what I was hungry for, I felt he was very deficient. The great literature courses from TGC feature professors who are superb at literary analysis. They break down the literature itself to get at deeper layers of meaning. This professor is only so-so in this respect. He teaches what he believes is to be learned or what is conventional to be learned. But either he can’t or he simply doesn’t do more.
So, the rating is average. And I would discourage those wanting more from taking this course.
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8 people found this helpful