Best short story

[EngTeach]

I am looking for some new short stories to teach my High School students. What is the best or most memorable short story you have read? They can be light in nature. If you know the author, that would be great too.

[dot.hawkes]

Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is the best short story most people will ever read

[fadgeduds]

Terry on the Fence by Bernard Ashley (uk)(set in about 1985)


The eighteenth emergency by Betsy Byars (USA)

[SeaJayPea]

Of Mice and Men, The Pearl and The Red Pony - all by the genius that was John Steinbeck.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Not, IMHO, as great a genius as the above, but close, very close.

But I would also agree with Dot - Shawshank is a great read.

[stewey]

"Catcher In The Rye". Forget the author.

[figure]

The Black Cat - Edgar Allan Poe
The Fall of the House of Usher - E. A. Poe
The Garden Party - Katherine Mansfield
The Mouse - H. Munro
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
The Lottery - Shirley Jackson

[dundurn]

Two authors, Damon Runyon and O. Henry, it's hard to find a really weak story in either of them. For the very best, however, I'd vote for "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Last Leaf", both by O. Henry. Both are available on the web and both (particularly "The Magi") are apposite for this time of year.

[saxy_jag]

What about Dickens' 'The Signalman' - very spooky.

[jno]

anything by Saki. Some of his were very short indeed. There are quite a lot here:

http://www.readbookonline.net/stories/Saki/77/

I rather like Cousin Teresa, but they're all very clever and have twists in the tail.

He was killed in the first world war by a sniper - his last words, to one of his men, were 'Put that bloody cigarette out!'

[heathfield]

And then there's the shortest ghost story ever told...

'The last person alive on Earth sat in the house.

There was a knock on the door...'

[EngTeach]

Thanks for your answers. Some I have taught for years and others are new. With some time off this week, I will check them out. I need to get out of my teaching rut and need to "shake things up a bit" for the kids and myself.

[sophie_1003]

Roald Dahl's The Landlady or Leg of Lamb
by the way, LOVE that shortest ghost story sent shivers up my back!

[jojojojoanne]

the turn of the screw henry james?

[jp_2031]

i am currently sitting higher, and a few good stories we have read are:

Zero Hour by Ray Bradbury
Mossy
The Lighthouse

Hope i helped

J.p

P.s - this isnt you mrs morrison is it? :S ( sorry if its not )

[SRH]

How about some classic sci fi short stories from Isaac Asimov, Heinlein etc? I loved them as a teenager - and loads of issues raised to discuss once read. Just wish we'd done them at school. We did The Pearl and I have to say it's the worst, most depressing story I've ever read! Just what you need when you're a miserable ,depressed EMO teenager!

[Kinetic]

War and Peace is a great story it only took me about 3 minutes I know bit shourt but hey...

Seriously though, probably 'The Jaunt' by Steven King from his book The Skeleton Crew - awesome.

[figure]

Another one of my most favourites is Short Stories by Anton Chekhov.