The Lady, or the Tiger? | Stockton's Stories
In the following excerpt, William Dean Howells examines the elements and style of Stockton's short stories, commenting particularly on Stockton's wit and delineation of plot.
Mr. Stockton's readers have a right to look a little askance at the title and general air of the two volumes, recently published, bearing his name. Is it intimated that this story-teller, having developed into a novelist, finds it a convenient time to bring together in a complete form all his short stories, and thus to take leave of the company? It is quite true that the short story is for most writers a desirable trial flight before they essay the bolder excursion of the novel, and that many short stories are only imperfectly developed novels. It is also true that a prudent intellectual...
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