Shirley Jackson on "The Lottery"

Shirley Jackson on "The Lottery"

An excerpt:

Curiously, there are three main themes which dominate the letters of that first summer—three themes which might be identified as bewilderment, speculation, and plain, old-fashioned abuse. . . People at first were not so much concerned with what the story meant; what they wanted to know was where these lotteries were held, and whether they could go there and watch.

I remember reading the story in sixth or seventh grade and then seeing a short film made from it.  Ever since Jackson joined the imperishable and unmatchable ranks of my then- (and still to some extent now-) hero Edgar Allan Poe, although her talent is quite differently oriented--unique.

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