The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares is a collection of short stories and the title novella by Joyce Carol Oates. Published in 2011 by Mysterious Press, it contains several works that Oates worked on over a period of fifteen years.[1]
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| Author | Joyce Carol Oates |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Mysterious Press |
Publication date | November 1, 2011 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & e-book) and audiobook |
| Pages | 264 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0802126022 (first edition, hardback) |
Synopsis
editThe book contains the stories "The Corn Maiden", "Beersheba", "Nobody Knows My Name", "Fossil-Figures", "Death-Cup", "Helping Hands", and "A Hole in the Head". The story contents range from a group of teenage girls planning to sacrifice one of their classmates in "The Corn Maiden" to a widow interacting with an employee of a second-hand store in "Helping Hands". Many contain the theme of sibling rivalry.
Reception
editCritical reception for The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares has been positive, with Kirkus Reviews calling the book "nightmarish".[2] Publishers Weekly praised the book, calling Oates "a master of psychological dread" but wrote that the audio book's narrator Christine Williams "lacks the emotional punch and range displayed" by the book's other narrator.[3][4] The Star Tribune and Bookreporter both praised the book, with Bookreporter praising the book's palpable anxiety.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Maran, Meredith (November 27, 2011). "'The Corn Maiden And Other Nightmares' by Joyce Carol Oates". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares". Kirkus Reviews . September 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates". Publishers Weekly. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares: Novellas and Stories of Unspeakable Dread by Joyce Carol Oates". Publishers Weekly. January 30, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ Egelman, Sarah Rachel (November 10, 2011). "The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares". Bookreporter. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.