Literary bonus: "The Lottery"

[MsAmerica]

I'm just reading a review of a new book of Shirley Jackson's letters, which in turn made me want to re-read her short story "The Lottery" again. Most people who've read it seem to have read it when young, probably because the language is simple, but it seems to me that it stays with you, no matter what. When it was originally published, it triggered more reader mail than any other fiction piece, ever, to date.

If you haven't read it:

The Lottery

www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

Well, I wasn’t expecting that! Chilling.

Re the letters sent in

The general tone of the early letters, however, was a kind of wide-eyed, shocked innocence. People at first were not so much concerned with what the story meant; what they wanted to know was where these lotteries were held, and whether they could go there and watch

I was just reading about her, she died so young. I had recently read a thread about we have always lived in the castle it sounded like a good watch but I’m too easily freaked out & fear it would give me nightmares.

www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a32773527/who-is-shirley-jackson-author/

What an upsetting story. The sense of menace is weaved through it.

I meant to add thanks for posting it, @MsAmerica

@SailYourShips

I meant to add thanks for posting it, *@MsAmerica*

Delighted to have introduced anyone to this story who may not have read it before.

:)

Her novel Life Among the Savages is pretty good - in an entirely different vein.

Yes! Although I'm not sure that Life Among the Savages is classified as a novel.

To add enough for those not familiar with it, it's the very funny story of a few years when the Jackson family moved from New York City to a small country town in Vermont. It's mostly about the various funny incidents of daily life there, including dealing with her small children. It's hard to believe she could also write something so light-hearted and amusing.