LitReading - Classic Short Stories

Human cruelty is nothing new. It has been a demon we have had to battle since the dawn of our kind. Yet, we also have the capacity to defeat our callousness and inhumanity (a term that drips with irony). This short powerful short story illustrates the depth our inner evil.Note: while this story shares a name with a Disney animated movie they are in no way related.One of the true masters of the short story, Guy de Maupassant was born in France in 1850. After serving in the Franco-Prussian War de Maupassant was taken in by well-known French author Gustav Flaubert where he was exposed to some of the greatest writers of the era. His stories were (and still are) so popular that the only Shakespeare has had more stories adapted into movies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life in the ancient world was often brutal and cruel. Resources were often limited leading to leaders ruthless edicts. In this old Japanese folktale, a young peasant is faced with an impossible decision.Matsuo Basho, one of Japan’s most famous poets, was born 1644 and is known for creating the poetic style that eventually evolved into what are now known as haikus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A snake-oil salesman uses his products to win the love of a beautiful young ward. Wilfred's determination to free his love from captivity grows stronger as he disguises himself as a valet. In a confrontation, Wilfred threatens to expose the schemes of Sir Jasper, only to be disappointed by his loved one. The podcast also includes a discussion on the children of Mr. Mulliner and a brief overview of British author P.G. Woodhouse's life.

Women’s health issues have long been explained away as emotional issues due to their role as the “weaker sex.” Serious illnesses were diagnosed as nothing more than hysteria and rest was prescribed. This ignorance of women’s real health problems is brilliantly portrayed in this haunting tale of a woman driven to the brink.The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman actually suffered a horrible case of post partum depression for which she was treated in a similar condescending manner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How times have changed. Just over a century ago, women were still fighting for the right to vote and the prevailing belief among men was that they were too emotional and fragile to do so. Our next story takes place, ironically, in a fictional Britain in the wake of a great plague. Join me as we travel back to a very different world in Hermann the Irascible by SakiSaki was the nome de plume of British author, H.H. Munro who was a prolific short story writer around the turn of the twentieth century. His wit, insight and style are unmistakable and incredibly enjoyable, even if the subject is a bit dated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A soldier delivers dispatches through hostile Indian territory, facing danger and exhaustion. They escape a bullet and battle for survival in a treacherous canyon. A shocking declaration of their death leads to an escape from a guardhouse and a quest for a specific location in the hills.

This podcast explores the disturbing thoughts and actions of a deranged individual as they contemplate killing, revel in gruesome acts, and find twisted enjoyment in murder. The narrator shares their disturbing diary entries and expresses satisfaction at the execution of an innocent man. The podcast also mentions additional pages in the manuscript, a movie adaptation, and a request for support.

Since the dawn of our species, we have been bewildered by about that strange period of altered consciousness that occurs just before, during, and at the end of our daily slumber.Our next story expressively explores this activity that we all share and which still eludes understanding.This piece was more of an observational essay than a classic short story. Its author, Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the young United States most brilliant fiction writers. Even today, his tales retain as much power as they had all most two centuries ago. His most famous novels were published at the dawn of the 1850s, “The Scarlet Letter” and “The House of the Seven Gables.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the plans for a top-secret British defense project are stolen and the apparent thief is found dead, the government turns to legendary detective Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery and find the documents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marriage takes the simple concept of procreation and turns it into a lifelong commitment that can, at times, lead to unexpected anger and resentment. As Mark Twain once said, "God's great cosmic joke on the human race was requiring that men and women live together in marriage.” Anyone who has ever been married will see parallels to their own partnerships.Despite the fact that Edna Ferber never married, she was an astute observer of people. That led her to great success as a writer. Her 1925 novel, "So Big," was a best-seller and won Ferber a Pulitzer Prize. The book was made into three movies. Her subsequent book, "Show Boat" was turned into a popular musical and her 1952 book "Giant" was the seed for the popular move of the same name starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices