Cultural depictions of dogs extend back thousands of years to when dogs were portrayed on the walls of caves. Representations of dogs in art became more elaborate as individual breeds evolved and the relationships between human and canine developed. Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.
The critic August Nemo selected seven short stories that present the many faces of the coexistence between men and dogs:
– A Dark-Brown Dog by Stephen Crane
– To Build a Fire by Jack London
– Ulysses and the Dogman by O. Henry
– Memoirs of a Yellow Dog by O. Henry
– The Lady with the Little Dog by Anton Chekhov
– The Anarchist: His Dog by Susan Glaspell
– The Dog by Ivan S. Turgenev
For more books with interesting themes, be sure to check the other books in this collection!
About the author
Stephen Crane, born in New Jersey on November 1, 1871, produced works that have been credited with establishing the foundations of modern American naturalism. His Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage (1895) realistically depicts the psychological complexities of battlefield emotion and has become a literary classic. He is also known for authoring Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. He died at the age of 28 on June 5, 1900 in Germany.
Jack London was born John Griffith Chaney on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. After working in the Klondike, London returned home and began publishing stories. His novels, including The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Martin Eden, placed London among the most popular American authors of his time. London, who was also a journalist and an outspoken socialist, died in 1916.
William Sydney Porter, writing as O. Henry, wrote in a dry, humorous style and, as in ‘The Gift of the Magi, ‘ often ironically used coincidences and surprise endings. Released from prison in 1902, Porter went to New York, his home and the setting of most of his fiction for the remainder of his life. Writing prodigiously, he went on to become a revered American writer.
Anton Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia. Through stories such as ‘The Steppe’ and ‘The Lady with the Dog, ‘ and plays such as The Seagull and Uncle Vanya, the prolific writer emphasized the depths of human nature, the hidden significance of everyday events and the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chekhov died of tuberculosis on July 15, 1904, in Badenweiler, Germany.
Susan Glaspell (born July 1, 1876, Davenport, Iowa, U.S.died July 27, 1948, Provincetown, Mass.), American dramatist and novelist who, with her husband, George Cram Cook, founded the influential Provincetown Players in 1915.
Ivan Turgenev (November 9 1818 September 3, 1883) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, translator and popularizer of Russian literature in the West.