Brief and affordable, this chronologically organized pocket-sized anthology focuses on the stories at a cost well under that of traditional fiction anthologies. Forty-four short stories from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries provide a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the study of fiction. An introduction to Fiction discusses the origins of the genre, its literary elements, and key terms. Thirteen new selections include stories by authors not previously represented in this anthology, as well as different offerings for previously anthologized authors. Brand new to this anthology are authors Hisaye Yamamoto,Tim O’Brien, and Sherman Alexie, who bring diverse subject matter and styles to the mix. New selections from Hawthorne, Poe, Kate Chopin, James Joyce, Faulkner, Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Munro, Andre Dubus, and Lorrie Moore enrich this anthology.