There are many fabulous conservative short stories. Here's a growing list of the best:
Short Story | Author | Reason and number of words |
---|---|---|
The Gift of the Magi[1] | O. Henry | love overcomes poverty (2,080 words) |
The Tell-Tale Heart | Edgar Allan Poe | (2,093 words) |
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge | Ambrose Bierce | power of infinite mental time (3,804 words) |
In the Penal Colony | Franz Kafka | |
Walden Pond | Henry David Thoreau | |
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County[2] | Mark Twain | mockery of gambling (2,631 words) |
Dubliners | James Joyce | |
I, Robot | Isaac Asimov | |
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow | Washington Irving | |
The Fall of the House of Usher | Edgar Allan Poe | |
The Last Leaf[1] | O. Henry | sacrifice for another in need (2,375 words) |
Rip Van Winkle | Washington Irving | 6,934 words |
The Quiet Man | Maurice Walsh | first published in the Saturday Evening Post on Feb. 11, 1933 (about 3,500 words), and made into an Oscar-winning movie |