The Lottery (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Shirley Jackson
- First Published: 1948
- Type of Work: Short story
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction, Domestic realism, Satire, Gothic fiction, Parable, Suspense
- Subjects: Racism, Gender roles, Psychology or psychologists, Marriage, 1940’s, Prejudices or antipathies, Alienation, Manners or customs, Reality, Victims, Small-town life, Human behavior, Rites or ceremonies, Lotteries, Festivals
- Locales: New England
Jackson once indicated that if she had never published any other work, she would be remembered for “The Lottery.” After the story came out in The New Yorker in 1948, Jackson received hundreds of letters, most of which were overwhelmingly negative. The letter writers were shocked, bemused, and, in some cases, frankly abusive. Many people wanted to know where and when the lottery was held so that they could witness it. Set in modern times in what some readers assumed was Jackson's home of Bennington, Vermont, “The Lottery” caused a nationwide stir and made the author...
[The entire page is 1068 words long]
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