This book is the first college anthology of short narratives to offer a full range of stories, varying greatly in their subjects, forms, and uses. In one convenient volume, Stories presents more total pieces and lengthy novellas than previous anthologies. It also features whole categories of other works that are seldom represented: cartoons, verse narratives, Bible stories, fairy tales, non-Western teaching tales, pre-Renaissance classics, and children's literature. Stories is designed not only to offer the highest quality of narratives, but also to make their study as accessible as possible. Many of the selections are chosen to make available, in addition to other comparisons, direct intertextual reference. Rather than relying on one kind of story, the text weaves together cohesive sets of works that overlap in diverse ways so that students better understand individual works. Reinforced by a sophisticated pedagogy that includes Headnotes, Study and Writing Questions, Questions for Contrast and Comparison, and current theories of narrative literature, Rabkin's Stories explores the processes of story-creating, story-telling, and story-hearing as crucial human activities.