The Greatest Fantasy Stories

Unlike Washington Irving's other famous story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", this one might perplex as to why it's considered a classic. The plot of "Rip Van Winkle" is hardly original. Apparently Irving stole it from.... Critique • Quotes • Buy the book

First thing to remember about "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is that it's a short work. By word count it qualifies as a story, as opposed to a novella or a novel, which it is sometimes called. It's to the credit.... Critique • Quotes • At the movies • Buy the book

Even a reader who is not into horror can get something out of the supernaturally charged writings of Théophile Gautier, especially his story "Clarimonde"—also known in English translation as "The Dreamland Bride".... Critique • Quotes • Buy the book

It's tempting to deride "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" as an earlier century's curiosity that no one would take as a factual report now. Hypnotizing the dying. Talking to the dead. Gruesome physical transformation. Yet.... Critique • Quotes • Buy the book

"The Monkey's Paw" is a story so well known for its plot that its writing and style are sometimes forgotten. In fact, it seems not to have been written by anyone at all, but must have filtered down to us as folk tale or.... Critique • Quotes • Text • Buy the book

D.H. Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is one of those stories frequently found in school anthologies and taught to English literature students. Or at least it used to be. For educators, part of the story's classroom appeal.... Critique • Quotes • Buy the book