The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

“It's not the way it used to be... people ain't the way they used to be.”

Readers, we’re back on the main feed today with a fan favorite format—Short Story Club! These episodes are extra fun to prep and record because it allows us to lean fully into our “Big English Teacher Energy,” look closely at a short text together, and get extra nerdy about interpreting and analyzing a literary work. Plus, short stories are a great way to make reading both classic and contemporary texts accessible to everyone.

Today’s episode and close reading is on Shirley Jackson’s most famous short story, “The Lottery,” written and published in The New Yorker in 1948. As we learned in last week’s newsletter, “The Lottery” went viral with its publication in the June 27th issue (well, mid-20th century style viral), generating more reader response than any other piece ever published in the magazine.

We can’t wait to discuss this haunting short story with you. Download today’s episode wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe to Novel Pairings in your app so you never miss an episode.

Special thanks to our executive producers: Emma, Dilma, Cathy, Amy, and Jodie for making Short Story Club possible!

Once you’re done listening to today’s episode, check out these links for more on Shirley Jackson’s unsettling short story:

• 75 Years Ago, ‘The Lottery’ Went Viral. There’s a Reason We’re Still Talking About It. (New York Times)

• Read Shirley Jackson’s Eerily Contemporary Letter About Fear (Literary Hub)

• Censorship and "The Lottery" (National Council of Teachers of English via JSTOR)

• 'The Lottery' Was Published 70 Years Ago, But It's Never Been More Necessary (Huffington Post)

• How Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery' Influenced Movies From 'Psycho' to 'Get Out' (Collider)

Backlist Short Story Club Episodes

If you loved today’s episode, and you haven’t listened to our other SSC discussions, this list is just for you. Here is a roundup of all our Short Story Club episodes and links to the short stories for your reading leisure. Practice your close reading and analysis with us!

“Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton (Apple | Spotify)

“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury (Apple | Spotify)

“Horror Story” by Carmen Maria Machado (Apple | Spotify)

“The Hunter’s Wife” by Anthony Doerr (Apple | Spotify)

“Speech Sounds” by Octavia Butler (Apple | Spotify)

“The Prairie Wife” by Curtis Sittenfeld (Apple | Spotify)

“Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe (Apple | Spotify)

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Apple | Spotify)

Coming Up

If you love feeling like you’re back in English class, our Patreon community is the place for you. This month, our Patreon Literature Scholars will get a chance to discuss Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat. There’s plenty of time to pick up a copy from your favorite book retailer or request a copy through your library before our book club on October 25th at 7 pm ET.

Mark your calendars for the rest of our fall semester events:

Final Words

Readers, do you have a favorite short story you’d love to revisit or see us discuss on the podcast? Let us know in the comments below. We’ll be back next week with our another episode in our our Modern Readers series. Until then, we declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book.

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