Overview

Hundreds of anthologies of women’s short stories have appeared in the literary market between the 1970s and now. This publishing and cultural phenomenon is considered for the first time in this book, which argues that, during this period, anthologies have become a literary technology used not only to make visible female short story writers, but also to think about, and mould ideas of, womanhood. Through creative and contextualised readings of the most important anthologies produced in this period, this study shows that this literary form has contributed to, and in some cases pioneered, key developments in gender theory and feminist thought, including questions of political combination among women which underlie contemporary global movements such as #MeToo. In doing so, the book also develops the first book-length conceptualisation of the features and meaning-making mechanisms of the short story anthology as a literary form. This book will benefit academics and students working in the fields of short fiction, publishing, and women’s studies, as well as feminist scholars and a growing number of specialists interested in the anthology as a literary form worldwide.

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9781032409610

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Reviews

“Aleix Tura Vecino’s The Short Story Anthology and Women’s Writing compellingly makes the case that anthologies deserve more critical attention for the work they do in the market, in the academy, and amongst scholars and writers. He posits that anthologies, more than just repositories for previously published fiction, reflect and refract major cultural and intellectual trends of the last half-century. By narrowing the focus to anthologies of women short story writers, Vecino’s monograph becomes an intellectual history of feminism, from second-wave to the rise of #MeToo. Especially interesting is his staging of the ways feminist editors and presses sought to capture and spark markets and, by extension, university courses for particular kinds of stories, from epiphanic modernist stories to science fiction to affect-driven narratives. He argues that anthologies are perhaps the best genre for understanding the increased interest and shifting discourses around identity, and anyone interested in genre, women’s fiction, and literary markets will find much to admire and learn from in this book.” --Jennifer J. Smith, Professor of English and Assistant Provost for Student Success and Engaged Learning (North Central College, USA) “In this exciting new study Aleix Tura Vecino highlights the crucial significance of women’s short story anthologies in both in the evolution of contemporary short fiction and the development of feminist thought. Some of the compilations he discusses are still widely read, while others are due a revival. Tura Vecino does justice to the pioneering spirit of feminist writing and its publishers, the inherent playfulness of the short story and its relevance today.” --Ailsa Cox, Professor Emerita in Short Fiction (Edge Hill University, UK) “The Short Story Anthology and Women’s Writing is the first rigorous academic monograph which examines in depth the aesthetics, politics and cultural relevance of the short story anthology as a genre of its own right. Departing from the well-established connection between gender (women) and gender (the short story), Tura Vecino here examines the crucial role of short story anthologies by women in the formation and evolution of gender politics and feminist thought from the early twentieth century to the present, functioning as culturally mediating spaces to articulate diverse women’s voices.” --Laura Mª Lojo Rodríguez, Full Professor of English Literature (Universidade de Santiagoo de Compostela, Spain)

Author Information

Aleix Tura Vecino holds a PhD in English from the University of Stirling and has taught modern and contemporary literature, and literary theory, at the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow. He currently is a Learning Developer at the University of Glasgow.

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