Short stories that get burned into one's brain

[catherineldf]

I suppose this could be a meme, if anyone else would like to play. I would love to see everyone else's top ten. :-)
Last night when I was trying to fall asleep between coughing fits brought on by hell cold, I got to thinking about short stories that I found absolutely unforgettable and came up with a list of my top ten. I decided I couldn't use the same author twice but that was the only limit I put on it.
Here's what I came up with, in no significant order. The notes are based on my memory of the story, which may or may not be accurate, relevant or popular:
1. “The Wonderful Old Gentleman” by Dorothy Parker. Possibly the ultimate dysfunctional family story. Two sisters with very different memories of their father reminisce at his funeral.
2. “Desiree’s Baby” by Kate Chopin. Wrenching story about the intersection of race and gender oppression in the antebellum South.
3. “Snow, Glass, Apples” by Neil Gaiman. You will never be able to watch Disney’s Snow White again.
4. “The Unshadowed Land” by C.J. Cherryh. The goddess Sekhmet loses everything until she finds herself.
5. “Your Faces, Oh My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light!” by James Tiptree, Jr. I cry every time I read this one, even out here in the wild, free world.
6. “Aye, and Gomorrah” by Samuel Delany. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
7. “A Game of Vlet” by Joanna Russ. The last of the Alyx stories. The game of vlet mirrors the insurrection going on outside the palace. I can never forget the image of the little marching pieces chanting, “The pee-puhl! The pee-puhl!”
8. “Un día de estos” by Gabriel García Marquez. I know, I know. Yet you still remember it years later, don’t you?
9. “And Wild for to Hold” by Nancy Kress. What if kidnapping Anne Boleyn before her execution would change the future? And what if she wasn’t thrilled about the idea?
10. “The Banquet of the Lords of the Night” by Liz Williams. One of my favorite alien invasion/humans fight back stories of all time.

So there's mine. What's your?

Comments

[jean-roberta.livejournal.com]

This meme requires some thought. I vaguely remember dozens of unforgettable (heh) stories, not necessarily by title. At one time, I read all of Joanna Russ' Alyx stories - love the sly humor. Some stories I've taught just grew stale from repetition - e.g. "The Yellow Wall-paper," "The Lottery," "The Cask of Amontillado," even "First Confession," an Irish Catholic story I taught to a class including a young man fresh from Dublin who didn't seem to get the point - not enough perspective?
I'll try to narrow my list down to 10.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

I look forward to seeing what you come up with. :-)

[urlgirl.livejournal.com]

I'm don't know that I have ten to contribute, but I do have at least two off the top of my head:

1. "The Wedding Album," by David Marusek - possibly the best description of what it's like to live in a moment, that I've ever found.
2. "Story Of Your Life," by Ted Chiang - so many gorgeously interwoven themes here, starting with linguistics and ending with parenthood, and everywhere in between. Oh, and first contact.

[catherineldf.livejournal.com]

You know, I keep trying to fall in love with Ted Chiang's work and while I think he's a good writer, I just can't seem to manage it. :-( Haven't read the other one and will have to check it out.