The Piazza Tales
Encyclopedia
The Piazza Tales is a collection of short stories
by Herman Melville
, which he published with Dix & Edwards in 1856 in the United States
. A British edition followed shortly afterward. Except for the title story, "The Piazza," all of the stories had appeared in Putnam's Monthly
over the years before. It was the only such collection published during Melville's lifetime. Originally, Melville had intended to entitle the volume Benito Cereno and Other Sketches, but it was The Encantadas
, his sketches of the Galápagos Islands
, that garnered the most attention from critics. Even though The Piazza Tales received largely favorable reviews, it did not sell well enough to get Melville out of his financial straits.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, which he published with Dix & Edwards in 1856 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A British edition followed shortly afterward. Except for the title story, "The Piazza," all of the stories had appeared in Putnam's Monthly
Putnam's Magazine
Putnam’s Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science and Art was a monthly periodical published by G. P. Putnam's Sons featuring American literature and articles on science, art, and politics...
over the years before. It was the only such collection published during Melville's lifetime. Originally, Melville had intended to entitle the volume Benito Cereno and Other Sketches, but it was The Encantadas
The Encantadas
The Encantadas or Enchanted Isles is a novella by American author Herman Melville. First published in Putnam's Magazine in 1854, it consists of ten philosophical "Sketches" on the Encantadas, or Galápagos Islands. It was collected in The Piazza Tales in 1856...
, his sketches of the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, that garnered the most attention from critics. Even though The Piazza Tales received largely favorable reviews, it did not sell well enough to get Melville out of his financial straits.
Contents
- "The Piazza"
- "Bartleby the ScrivenerBartleby the ScrivenerBartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story by the American novelist Herman Melville . It first appeared anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 editions of Putnam's Magazine, and was reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in...
" (first published in Putnam's November and December 1853) - "Benito CerenoBenito CerenoBenito Cereno is a novella by Herman Melville. It was first serialized in Putnam's Monthly in 1855 and later included in slightly revised version in his collection The Piazza Tales .-Plot summary:...
" (first published in Putnam's October, November and December 1855) - "The Lightning-Rod Man" (first published in Putnam's August 1854)
- "The Encantadas or Enchanted IslesThe EncantadasThe Encantadas or Enchanted Isles is a novella by American author Herman Melville. First published in Putnam's Magazine in 1854, it consists of ten philosophical "Sketches" on the Encantadas, or Galápagos Islands. It was collected in The Piazza Tales in 1856...
" (first published in Putnam's March, April, and May 1854) - "The Bell-Tower" (first published in Putnam's August 1855)
External links
- The Piazza Tales full text at Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
. - Full text of the Dix & Edwards edition by Electronic Scholarly Publishing prepared by Robert Robbins.