The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, published by W. W. Norton & Company, is one of the Norton Anthology series for use in English literary studies. The first edition appeared in 1988 and was accompanied by an "Instructor's Handbook". The second edition appeared in 1998 and was edited by R. V. Cassill and, in addition, by Joyce Carol Oates. It has been widely used as a college textbook. The 545-page anthology contains one work each by 45 writers, 41 of whom were born in the United States. "Biographical Sketches." The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. 547–553. The second edition contains 16 new writers. The selection includes 21 women writers. A biographical sketch of each author is included at the end of the volume.
In his introduction to the second and last edition with this title, Cassill cites the influence of urbanization and network journalism on aspiring writers at the end of the 20th century before asserting that the "range of private experience in this collection ought to encourage students to look into their own school and neighborhood experience when and if they are moved to write"; he notes the intention of the volume to be that students will find "much to emulate, and class discussions of contemporary styles will be relevant in all literature courses."Cassill, R. V. "Introduction." The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction, 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. xi. R. V. Cassill was a prolific writer, teacher of creative writing, and professor at Boston University from 1966 to 1983. From 1978 until his death in 2002, Cassill was also the editor of the Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. The writer Joyce Carol Oates has been the editor of a wide range of anthologies since 1973.
Included authors (second edition) Author Title Date of Copyright SourceAlice Adams "Barcelona" 1984 Return TripsJulia Alvarez "The Rudy Elmenhurst Story" 1991 How the Garcia Girls Lost Their AccentsMargaret Atwood "The Man from Mars" 1977, 1981 Dancing Girls and Other StoriesDonald Barthelme "The Indian Uprising" 1981 Unspeakable Practices. Unnatural ActsCharles Baxter "Snow" 1990 A Relative StrangerAnn Beattie "The Cinderella Waltz" 1982 The Burning HouseT. Coraghessan Boyle "Descent of Man" 1974 Descent of ManRon Carlson "Blazo” 1992 Plan B for the Middle ClassRaymond Carver "Cathedral" 1981 CathedralSandra Cisneros "One Holy Night" 1991 Woman Hollering CreekRobert Coover "The Babysitter" 1969 Pricksongs and DescantsMark Costello "Murphy's Xmas" 1973 The Murphy StoriesAndre Dubus "A Father's Story" 1983 The Times Are Never So BadStuart Dybek "Pet Milk " 1981 The Coast of ChicagoLouise Erdrich "Saint Marie" 1984; revised 1993 Atlantic Monthly (March 1984)Richard Ford "Rock Springs" 1987 Rock SpringsGabriel García Márquez "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" 1971 Leaf Storm and Other StoriesGeorge Garrett "An Evening Performance" 1985 An Evening PerformanceWilliam H. Gass "In the Heart of the Heart of the Country" 1968 In the Heart of the Heart of the CountryC. S. Godshalk "The Wizard" 1989 appeared in AGNI 28Tom Hawkins “Putting a Child to Bed” 1989 Paper CrownAmy Hempel "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" 1985 Reasons to LivePam Houston "Cowboys Are My Weakness" 1992 Cowboys Are My WeaknessCharles Johnson "Kwoon" 1991 first appeared in Playboy, December 1991Thom Jones "The Black Lights" 1993 The Pugilist at RestJamaica Kincaid "Girl" 1983 At the Bottom of the RiverWilliam Kotzwinkle "Follow the Eagle" 1971 Elephant Bangs TrainUrsula K. Le Guin "The New Atlantis" 1975 The New AtlantisDavid Madden "No Trace" 1970 The Shadow KnowsBobbie Ann Mason "Love Life" 1990 Love LifeSusan Minot "Lust" 1989 Lust and Other StoriesBharati Mukherjee "The Tenant" 1988 The Middleman and Other StoriesAlice Munro "Wild Swans" 1977, 1978 The Beggar MaidJoyce Carol Oates "Bad Girls" 1994 BoulevardTim O’Brien "The Things They Carried" 1990 The Things They CarriedJonathan Penner "Emotional Recollected in Tranquillity" 1983 Private PartiesJayne Anne Phillips "Souvenir" 1979 Black TicketsMary Robison "Coach" 1983 An Amateur's Guide to the NightAmy Tan "Rules of the Game" 1989 The Joy Luck ClubHunter S. Thompson "A Death in the Family" 1988 Generation of SwineJohn Updike "The Other" 1987 Trust MeGuy Vanderhaeghe "Going to Russia" 1982 Man DescendingAlice Walker "Everyday Use" 1973 In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black WomenJoy Williams "Taking Care" 1982 Taking CareTobias Wolff "In the Garden of the North American Martyrs" 1981 In the Garden of the North American Martyrs
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