Shirley Jackson Biography Essay - 1117 Words

Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. She was the daughter of Leslie Hardie (President of Stecher-Traung Lithograph,Inc.) and Geraldine Bugbee Jackson. Miss Jackson attended the University of Rochester from 1934 to 1936. She graduated with a BA from Syracuse University in 1940. Shortly after graduating, she married Stanley Edgar Hyman, who was a literary critic and was on the faculty of Bennington college.. They moved to Vermont and had four children together. Miss Jackson made her first appearance in The New Yorker in 1943 with a casual sketch After You Dear Alphonse. Then for the next ten years was a contributor of short stories. Shirley had spent her childhood living on the coast and†¦show more content†¦They often behave with callous disregard of those around them. Speaking of the reaction provoked by The Lottery, Jackson wrote in The Story and Its Writer, An Introduction to Short Fiction; One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories and books is the realization that they are going to be read, and read by strangers.I had never really fully understood this before. It had simply never occurred to me that these millions and millions of people, would sit down and write me letters I was downright scared to open. Even my mother scolded me. Miss Jackson also stated, If I thought this was a valid cross section of the reading public, I would give up writing. In 1959 Miss Jackson wrote a novel called The Haunting of Hill House. In 1963 it was made into a film called The Haunting, starring Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. In this story a group of researchers gather at an old estate house as part of a psychic investigaqtion to see if the building is haunted. One of the women invited to participate on the project because of her sensitivity to the supernatural becomes obsessed with or possessed by the house. Carol Cleveland explained in And Then There Were Nine-More Women of Mystery, that with this novel Jackson had given the traditional gothicShow MoreRelatedAn Unkindness of Tradition: Shirley Jackson ´s Biography1624 Words   |  7 Pagesmorbid and daunting way of writing. A common form is that of suspense and mystery. Shirley Jackson takes mystery to a distinctive level. She depicts an era that has not yet been revealed. By looking at the background of this author, analyzing her writing and responding personally you will better enhance your learning experience and connection with this type of dark literature. Author Biography Shirley Jackson was an extremely well liked American author during the 1900s. However, in recent yearsRead MoreThe Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1468 Words   |  6 Pagesfrowned upon for doing so. In Shirley Jacksons â€Å"The Lottery† she does exactly that by portraying themes like the inhumanity of violence and the tendency people have to follow traditions even when they do not agree with them. In a short biography about Jackson it says â€Å"The story was met with an avalanche of feedback, including hate mail and cancelled subscriptions. Many folks interpreted the story as an attack on the values of small towns America† (â€Å"The Shirley Jackson Page at American Literature†)Read More Shirley Jacksons The Lottery 946 Words   |  4 PagesShirley Jackson is said to be one of the most â€Å"brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century.† â€Å"Her fiction writing is some of the most important to come out of the American literary canon.† (http://shirleyjackson.org/Reviews.html) Jackson wrote many short stories and even some books. They are more on the dark, witchlike side, however. Kelleher explains that Jackson stated in some interviews that she practiced magic. No one really knows if she was serious while practicing witchcraftRead MoreGender Roles in â€Å"The Lottery† In the short story â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson shows apparent1300 Words   |  6 PagesGender Roles in â€Å"The Lottery† In the short story â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson shows apparent gender roles where women have little to no say with decisions and arrangements. The women in the story are portrayed as mediocre to the men of the village. This is mainly shown by there not being a single dominant female character throughout the story. Not only is the social standing of the women lower, they are not treated with the respect that women deserve. The women are shown as so insignificant thatRead MoreShirley Jackson’s Constant Battle of Self Satisfaction879 Words   |  4 PagesDarryl Hattenhauer, Shirley Jackson, an American gothic author, was ranked among Americas most highly regarded fiction writers during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s (1). Jackson argued that â€Å"a good story must engage its reader, persuade him that he wants to belong in the story for as long as it lasts† and if the author fails to provide such experience then they can consider their work a failure (Hall 113). The idea of authors providing an experience of enjoyment, made Jackson a successful writerRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay example1173 Words   |  5 Pageslottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificed? This question is answered in Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery.† In reading this story, and reading literary criticism about the story, there were many symbols and much symbolism in this story. 1 Biographical Analysis Shirley Jackson was the only daughter of Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Born in 1916, Jackson grew up in Rochester New York and went to Brighton High School. Eventually, she would graduate from SyracuseRead MoreEssay on The Lottery1873 Words   |  8 Pagesgreat interest in its author, Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1919. When she was two years old, her family moved her to Burlingame, California, where Jackson attended high school. After high school Jackson moved away to attend college at Rochester University in upstate New York but after only a short time at Rochester and, after taking off a year from school, she moved on to Syracuse University. At first, Jackson was in the School of JournalismRead MoreAnalysis Of Shirley Jackson s Flower Garden 1511 Words   |  7 Pagespsychological thrillers, Shirley Jackson has always been able to get into the mind of the reader and force them to think of the deeper meaning behind her stories. However, it is always brought to question if her best selling works were a result of her poor mental health. Growing up, Jackson had always felt like an outsider; dealing with a cruel mother and other children her age only fueled her isolation later in life. As a way to record her feelings and tho ughts, Jackson began writing stories andRead Moreâ€Å"the Destructors† and â€Å"the Lottery† Fiction Essay997 Words   |  4 Pagesthat we are, as human beings, a violent people by nature. We see it in our own history of wars and genocide that the violence in us can grow to extreme proportions. These two stories, â€Å"The Destructors† by Graham Greene, and â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, show us that some of the violence can be brought on by people simply following blindly. Whether we look at the past or the present, these two short stories, show us the mob mentality can be very dangerous. The long dead tradition of â€Å"The Lottery†Read MoreThe Theme Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson1159 Words   |  5 Pagespeople will go to fit in, to be part of a crowd, to feel accepted. The theme of this story is a reflection on some of Shirley Jackson’s life, from her experiences as a wife in a small community in conjunction with her p erspective of the events of WW II. Jackson was born in San Francisco and grew up in an affluent middle-class community. Looking at the way in which Shirley Jackson begins this short story is telling; how she describes the unmistakable charm of this village, with its folks gathering