Discoveries: Fifty Stories of the Quest, 2nd Edition

By Diane Simone, Jerry Herron, Richard Pisciotta, et al.

Book Overview

Reflecting today's growing emphasis on multiculturalism, the second edition of this remarkably successful anthology offers twelve additional contributions from the new generation of writers currently revitalizing the short story form, including Amy Tan, Bharati Mukherjee, R.K. Narayan, Stephen Milhauser, Ellen Gilchrist, and Patrick McGrath. Organized around the successive stages of humanity's most durable myth, the hero's quest narrative pattern delineated by renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell, this edition offers a summary and explication of Campbell's analysis of the quest motif, a new biographical introduction to Campbell's life and work, and a section of concise biographical entries on each of the fifty authors.
As in the earlier edition, the quality and quantity of the selections give instructors the freedom to present the stories in whatever order and structure they choose. For those who wish to take advantage of the anthology's thematic organization, the editors provide questions for discussion and possible writing assignments that do not sacrifice the comprehensive diversity of the selections or their identity as distinctive works of literature open to various interpretations. A highly accessible introduction to the technical aspects of the close analysis of fiction, this text also offers a number of special features: two supplementary tables of contents, one organized by alternate themes, and one by the traditional elements of fiction; an introductory essay defining those technical elements and including a sample analysis of one the stories in the anthology; and a glossary of critical terms.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195068505
• ISBN13: 9780195068504
• Release Date: October 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic stories with helpful commentary.

The short stories here are all interesting and an excellent account of the different types of hero journies that people can undertake. They are uplifting and inspiring. Tney are all helpful in the study of human strength as well as frailty, and all readers will be able to identify with one or many of the stories.