Arts: Why You Should Read Shirley Jackson

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Brow Beat Why You Should Read Shirley Jackson By William Brennan Posted Friday, Mar 01, 2013, at 10:49 PM ET In one of the lectures reprinted in her posthumous 1968 collection Come Along With Me, rereleased this week by Penguin Classics, Shirley Jackson says she's been told that if "The Lottery," her infamous short story about an atavistic ritual set in a contemporary village, "had been the only story I ever wrote or published, there would be people who would not forget my name." But the release of Come Along With Me, which includes 14 of Jackson's best unpublished stories, three humorous lectures, and a sadly incomplete novel, is a good reminder that there are many other reasons not to forget her name. In her lifetime, Jackson published six novels, two memoirs, a children's book, a book of advice for young mothers which she disowned, and a short story collection. She also wrote countless stories, essays, and book reviews that, uncollected, hide out in libraries, on the yellowed pages of Mademoiselle, The New York Times, Playboy, and The New Yorker. That's to say nothing of the boxes of drafts and abandoned writings left behind when she died during an afternoon nap in August 1965. What stands out about Jackson's other stories is how different they are from "The Lottery," not in terms of theme but rather—pardon the pun—execution. "The Lottery" and its shock ending are rare among her body of work. Jackson was usually more comfortable with the almost-said. In "The Daemon Lover," for instance, a woman spends her wedding day, and the ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Sequestration Is Here: Don't Expect Anything To Happen Silver Linings Playbook Takes a Nuanced View on Mental Health and Sex Bring Back Cocktail Hour for Working Parents	Advertisement
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