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When it comes to literary fiction, short stories are the second most popular format after novels. Although novels are more expansive, many authors like focusing in on a more intimate narrative. And for the most famous short story and many others, brevity is the greatest strength.
Who can say which is the best and most famous short story ever told? It is a subjective exercise, as anyone who reads short stories will have different opinions. You will find our first choice at the end. In the meantime, here are five of the most widely read and influential short stories in history.
A Headless Horseman
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: This is one of the most famous horror stories of all time. It features the terrifying Headless Horseman, who haunts a small Dutch colonial town in the late 1700s.
The narrative follows Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, who is competing with a ruffian for the affections of a young woman. The ghost attacks him and vanishes. The ambiguous ending not only makes Ichabod’s fate unclear but poses whether or not the horseman was his rival in disguise.
The story has been adapted countless times. The most famous adaptations are the screen versions by Disney in 1949 and Tim Burton in 1999.
A Changed Man
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: This holiday classic tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and cruel old man. On a Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. They take him on a time travel tour to show him the dismal fate that awaits him unless he changes.
This most famous short story has become a staple of holiday literature. It has been adapted for stage, film, and television countless times.
A Deadly Draw
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson: A controversial and unsettling story tells the tale of a small town that holds an annual lottery. For most of the tale, it’s unclear, what the lottery is for. In the end, the author reveals the winner will be stoned to death by their neighbours.
The Lottery is known for the shocking twist ending and its commentary on the dangers of tradition and conformity. No one questions the lottery. They do it because it’s what has always been done.
To this day, The Lottery is considered one of the best short stories ever written, and it is studied in schools and universities.
A Gift Exchange with a Twist
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry: This heartwarming tale is about a poor young couple who make sacrifices for one another. They each sell their most prized possession so they can give the other a Christmas gift.
The Gift of the Magi is known for its clever plotting and surprise ending, and it has become a holiday classic. It’s such a famous short story mostly because of its messages, and it teaches us the monetary value of gifts is not important; it’s the thought that counts.
Beyond that, it shows that no material possession is as important as love. The couple’s sacrifices aren’t in vain because they prove their love for one another.
A Changed Man of a Different Sort
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka:
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
The Metamorphosis
This is one of the most famous opening lines in literary history. The story that follows is just as surreal and allegorical.
Gregor has transformed with no explanation. Unlike a typical fantasy, it isn’t the start to an adventure. In this state, Gregor can’t work and becomes a burden to his family. He also loses sight of who he is and his human identity.
The Metamorphosis is known for its strange and symbolic portrayal of alienation and existential despair. Due to its dark humour, tragedy, and philosophical underpinnings, it’s had a lasting impact on literature and popular culture.
So, what is the Most Famous Short Story?
The previous five examples are some of the best short stories ever written. My choice for the best and most famous short story, however, is…
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe: This classic horror story tells the tale of a man who murders an old man. Afterwards, he becomes convinced that he can hear the man’s beating heart beneath the floorboards.
The story is suspenseful and the narrative atmospheric. It’s also a perfect rendering of what it is like to experience extreme guilt. Despite its supernatural suspense story trappings, the implication is it is all in the narrator’s imagination.
One of Poe’s most well-known and beloved stories, it has been widely anthologised and adapted for film and other media.
It’s a Wrap
These are six examples of some of the most famous short stories ever published. There are many others, but these are our favourites.
Related Posts
Sources
A Summary and Analysis of Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’
A Summary and Analysis of O. Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’
Kafka’s Metamorphosis and its mutations in translation – WB Gooderham – May 13, 2015