Short Stories
A short story is piece of prose fiction with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter than a novel. They are often indexed in anthologies, compilations, magazines - rarely published on their own. For this reason, they can be trickier to locate. Use the resources below to learn short story access tips as well as literary criticism using print and electronic resources.
Locating Short Stories
Short stories can often be identified by the "SS" abbreviation on their spine label. At VPL locations with separate sections for short stories, such as the Central Library, you can browse collected works by the author's last name; volumes with stories by multiple authors are interfiled alphabetically by the title of the volume.
You can also browse literary short stories (and novels) at the Central Library by heading straight to the following call numbers in the non-fiction section: 823 (English), 833 (German), 843 (French), 853 (Italian), 863 (Spanish), 873 (Latin), 883 (Classical Greek). For short stories originally written in other languages or by authors hailing from other countries, it is best to search the catalogue directly.
If a specific copy of a short story is not available, remember it might be available in a collection or anthology. Here are some tips for finding short stories in a collection or anthology:
- Perform a keyword search in our catalogue and enter the title and author of the short story. For example: "Poe Tell Tale Heart".
- If you cannot find the short story in the library's catalogue, try using the Short Story Index to locate stories published in anthologies or collections.
- Try Google - some short stories are available in digitized format. Google Books is also a useful index.
- Gale Literary Index - A master index to the major literature products published by Gale. It combines and cross-references over 165,000 author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for over 215,000 titles into one source. Search by author for prime results.
Finding Literary Criticism
For major fiction writers, such as Ernest Hemingway or Anton Chekhov, the library may have books of criticism about their short stories. Search for the author's name in the library catalogue by subject and add the phrase Criticism and Interpretation.
e.g. Ernest Hemingway Criticism and Interpretation
If an entire book has been written about a short story, such as "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, you may also find it at the library. Search the author's name in the library catalogue by subject and include the title of the short story.
e.g. Charlotte Perkins Gilman Yellow Wallpaper
2. Use the literary criticism reference tools that include analysis of many different works, especially the various series published by Gale. Almost all major Gale series are available in the Reference Resources section on level 6 and online through our electronic databases below
Gale Ebooks: This subcollection of the Gale Virtual Reference Library contains resources for understanding works of literature. It includes the For Students literature criticism series, Something About the Author series, plus encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries and other authoritative reference sources. Also try browsing the criticism works in the 8XX.9 sections on Level 6 for the appropriate language and genre (poetry, drama, fiction, etc.) and look at table of contents and indexes in each item to see if it critiques the work of interest.
Gale Literary Index: This is the master index to Gale’s literary criticism reference tools.
Literature Criticism Online: Find authoritative critical essays and biographical profiles in this comprehensive full-text database, which includes the hundreds of volumes of Literature Criticism, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Literature Criticism 1400-1800, Poetry Criticism, Shakespearean Criticism, and 20th Century Literature Criticism. Modern and historical essays are included, covering all literary genres and periods.
Key Reference Materials
Critical Survey of Short Fiction
809.305 C93m3
2012
This ten volume set covers 625 authors from Homer to Dante and from Margaret- Atwood to Stephen King, profiles major- short story writers, with sections on other literary forms, achievements, biography, general analysis, and analysis of the writer's most important stories or collections. Intended for college students. The Central Library has literary encyclopedias which contain plot summaries and criticism on short stories. Most are shelved in the Level 6 Reference Tools Collection. Note: some of the items below are also available in electronic format, accessible outside the library with a valid Vancouver Public Library card.
Masterplots II Short Story Series
809.3 M42m1
2004
This alphabetically arranged collection of critical essays covers 1490 short stories. All articles are signed (either by professors or independent scholars), average three pages each, and follow an established format covering title, author, genre, setting, original publication data, date of English translation, principle characters, story synopsis, themes, style, and technique.
Reference Guide to Short Fiction
809.3 R33w1
1999
Provides study and commentary on the most instrumental writers of short fiction through the 20th century. International in scope, this single scholarly volume includes 779 entries on 377 authors and 402 short stories. note: available in print and electronic format
Short Story Criticism
809.305 S55
This series presents critical views on the most widely studied writers of short fiction. Each volume includes overviews of three to six short story writers, works, or topics and a historical survey of the critical response.
Twentieth-century Short Story Explication
823X W18tw
Commonly known as ``Walker,'' this reference series is popular in public and academic libraries. It lists 20th-century interpretation citations, taken from English-language books and journals, for short stories written since 1800 by 2016 world authors.
