Top Ten Short Stories That Inspire Me

In high school and college, I read a lot of literature. I also had to analyze a lot of it as well. There were many that I found myself pushing away in disinterest. There are a handful that have stuck with me over the years. Stories that I wish I could emulate. Allow me to share them with you…in no particular order.

1. Harrison Burgeron by Kurt Vonnegut
2. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
3. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
4. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
5. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
6. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
7. Appointment with Love by S. I. Kishor
8. Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence
10. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

These stories have it all.  Political and societal commentary blended with emotional turmoil.  Love, hate, joy, pain, anger, and loss are at the core of each story.  They are snapshots of life embodied forever in a careful selection of words and phrases.

I think my favorite short story is Appointment with Love by S. I. Kishor. It is the only one with what I would call a happy ending, but that’s not why I love it. I love the concept and the emotion behind the story.
I don’t want to spoil the stories, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying them. Each one of them have details and plots that if overly discussed, would diminish the emotional response that makes these tales so powerful.
If you have read them, please feel free to post a comment. What do you think of my list? What are some of your favorite short stories?