Short Story Examples: Contemporary and Classic

Looking for examples of short stories? 

Short stories are often considered any story under 10,000 words in length, usually closer to 7,500. If a story is under 1,000 words, it is often considered flash fiction, a subset of short stories that are even shorter than traditional short stories. 

Short stories often span across genres, with some of the most prominent writers of the 20th century prolifically publishing short stories, including authors like Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and Shirley Jackson. 

Penny Magic looks to bring readers delightful stories of literary and speculative fiction, as well as classics that will encourage readers to spend more time reading fiction. The examples below are curated to reflect that desire. 

Classic Short Story Examples

You can find curated examples of classic short stories on our classics page such as: 

• The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs

• The Bet by Anton Chekhov

• A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf

• The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

• The Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit

You can also find more classic short stories for free on Project Gutenberg. Or, if you looking to read short stories in print, you can find many options at your favorite bookstore or in your local library. Here are a few collections to consider as you start:

• 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories

• The World’s Greatest Short Stories

• American Midnight: Tales from the Dark

Contemporary Short Story Examples

You can find examples of contemporary short stories of literary and speculative fiction here for free on our site as well as read aloud on our podcast, including stories and genres like:

• The Star Map (science fiction short story)

• The Things We Know But Never Say (fantasy short story)

• The Stairs (magical realism short story) 

• What the Sparrows Did (a modern day fairytale and our first story published on Penny Magic)

Penny Magic focuses on delightful stories of literary and speculative fiction around 5,000 words in length, but you can find other contemporary short stories in publications like The New Yorker or The Atlantic.

What are your favorite examples of short stories? If you love an author’s short stories, do you also enjoy their other work? Find us on our social media to let us know your favorites. 

This post includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org. By purchasing using these links, you are supporting Penny Magic. Or, consider finding your local bookstore on Bookshop.org and shopping with them!